Deforestation in Indonesia increased sharply last year, but resource analysts see an improving trend overall

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia saw a 27% increase in primary forest loss in 2023 compared to the previous year, from felled trees in protected national parks to vast areas of jungle cleared for palm oil and paper plantations, according to an analysis by the World Resources Institute, according to deforestation data. But the loss is still considered historically low compared to the 2010s, it said.

“Deforestation is down compared to about six years ago when there were peaks,” said Rod Taylor, global director of the forest program at WRI. “This is good news and commendable for Indonesia.”

Others, however, saw the increase as cause for concern, attributing some of the recent deforestation to a global desire to mine Indonesia's vast nickel deposits, which are crucial to the transition to green energy.

The latest data from the University of Maryland's Global Land Analysis and Discovery laboratory has been shared on Global Forest Watch – a WRI-powered platform that provides data, technology and tools to monitor the world's forests.

Indonesia, a vast tropical archipelago that stretches across the equator, is home to the world's third largest rainforest with a variety of endangered wildlife and plants, including orangutans, elephants and giant forest flowers. Some don't live anywhere else.

Since 1950, more than 74 million hectares (285,715 square miles) of Indonesian rainforest – an area twice the size of Germany – have been cut down, burned or degraded for the development of palm oil, paper and rubber plantations, nickel mining and other raw materials, according to Global Forest Watch. Indonesia is the largest palm oil producer, one of the largest coal exporters and a leading pulp producer for paper. It also exports oil and gas, rubber, tin and other resources.

According to the analysis, there was an expansion of industrial plantations in several locations alongside existing palm oil tree, pulp and paper plantations on the tropical islands of Kalimantan and West Papua.

Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry said the expansion came under concessions granted before the current government took office in 2014.

Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry did not respond to questions and a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Global Forest Watch's data on the loss of primary forests in Indonesia – which are old-growth forests that typically have high stored carbon content and rich biodiversity – is higher than official Indonesian statistics. That's because, according to the analysis, much of Indonesia's primary forest loss occurs in areas that Indonesia classifies as secondary forest – areas that have regenerated through largely natural processes following human interventions such as agricultural clearing or timber harvesting. Secondary forests typically have a lower carbon storage capacity than primary forests.

According to the analysis, deforestation related to the mining industry occurred in Sumatra, Sulawesi, Mlauku and Kalimantan.

Indonesia has the world's largest nickel reserves – a key material for electric vehicles, solar panels and other goods needed for the green energy transition. And some of that deforestation can be directly linked to the expansion of Indonesia's nickel industry, said Timer Manurung, director of Auriga Nusantara, a nongovernmental conservation organization based in Indonesia.

Manurung said it was not clear exactly how much of Indonesia's deforestation was due to mining. But he called it a “significant driver” and said the government's rapid development of the country's mining and nickel industries – including more than 20 new smelters to process the nickel ore – “increased Indonesia's failures in palm oil and pulpwood.” Deforestation repeated.

But Taylor noted that large-scale deforestation appears to be declining compared to the past.

The 2010s saw a gigantic expansion of oil palm, timber and large-scale plantations across Indonesia. Research in the journal Nature Climate Change found that the rate of deforestation doubled to about 2 million hectares per year between 2004 and 2014.

In 2023, primary forest loss in areas larger than 100 hectares accounted for only 15% of the loss, the analysis says.

Taylor attributes the lack of large-scale deforestation to the reputational risks companies face if they are found to be cutting down trees. Over the past few decades, non-governmental organizations, consumers and governments – including the European Union – have pushed for companies to move away from deforestation practices.

In 2018, Indonesian President Joko Widodo imposed a three-year freeze on new permits for palm oil plantations. And the rate of deforestation slowed between 2021 and 2022, according to government data.

However, small-scale primary forest loss still occurred across the country, including in several protected areas such as Tesso Nilo National Park and Rawa Singkil Game Reserve on the island of Sumatra. Critically endangered animals such as tigers and elephants live in both areas.

A wetter-than-usual El Niño — which typically results in less precipitation and higher temperatures, which can cause fires to spread quickly, clearing land for agriculture — has contributed to a calmer-than-expected fire season, Taylor said. This also applies to the Indonesian government's investments in fire protection capabilities as well as local communities' firefighting efforts.

During Indonesia's last El Niño in 2015 and 2016, fires that intentionally destroyed land for agriculture spread rapidly, creating haze across Southeast Asia. Several Indonesian provinces declared a state of emergency, respiratory illnesses increased and thousands of Indonesians were forced to leave their homes.

“The good news in Indonesia is that fire protection measures are much more sophisticated than in previous years,” Taylor said. “It really makes a difference.”

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