Indonesia deforestation increases for third year: NGO

Forest harvesting in Indonesia increased for the third year in 2024, a local environment NGO on Friday called satellite image analysis and fieldwork.

Indonesia is one of the highest rates of world harvesting, including wooden plantations, palm oil cultivation and, rapid, mining of significant minerals.

Its rainforests are some of the most biodiversity in the world and provide important housing for danger and endangered species, and major carbon sinks.

The report by NGO Auriga Nusantara states that 261,575 hectares (646,366 acres) of primary and secondary forests across Indonesia were more than four thousand compared to the previous year, in 2024.

The group said that most of the damage occurred in areas opened by the government for development.

“It is worrying, as it reflects the growth of legal deforestation,” said Timer Manurung, president of Auriga Nusantara.

He called for the “immediate” protection of the forest in Kalimantan, where the most loss was recorded as the new capital of the country, and in Sulawesi.

This report comes when Indonesian environmentalists increase the alarm on government schemes to change millions of hectares of forests for the use of food and energy.

President Prabovo Sabiento, who assumed the rank in October, promises to promote food and energy self-reliance, including expanding bio-based fuels to reduce fuel imports.

Environmental groups warned that the schemes would face disaster for the country’s forests.

“We ask President Prabovo to release the President’s regulation to protect the natural forest,” Timer told AFP.

The report is based on the satellite imagery, which was analyzed to confirm the deforestation, and said Auiga Nusantara, with a visit to the area in areas representing thousands of hectares of forest losses.

Coral area in danger

While except for the surrounding area of ​​Jakarta, forests were harvested in all provinces of Indonesia, the biggest disadvantages were seen in blacksmith.

A driver in the region has been the designation of an area for the new capital, the report states.

Two regional governments of the region have proposed to open hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest for possible development, warning the group.

However, most of the deforestation was powered by objects including wood, mining and palm oil.

Officials of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia did not immediately respond to the request of the comment.

The government has previously disputed the claims of the deforestation made by the environmentalists, and said that the projections are incorrectly leaving the change in gardens in the form of deforestation.

Auraiga Nusantara said that it is counted except for a loss of wooden gardens and plantation forests, but the primary forests covers both and covers both “secondary” forests.

The report also leads to an alarm on deforestation for biomass production, with the forest seen to apply quickly growing species that will provide wooden biomass.

Indonesia is eager to promote domestic use of biomass energy and exports, especially for Japan and South Korea.

And it highlighted the harvesting of forests on the islands in King Ampat, which is known to a region for coral reefs, nickel mining as advances.

“This region of such national and international appreciation has been unable to face attacks,” the report said.

About 200 hectares have been denied in four islands in the region, the group said, “Already have been issued for many more islands with new nickel mining licenses.”

Auraiga Nusantara said that despite legal security, forest loss was also causing loss of forest.

The group said that about 42 million hectares of the natural forests of Indonesia are unsafe by laws, already millions of hectares inside concessions.

While the amount of forest loss has increased in recent years, it is still rapidly below a peak around 2016.

© 2025 AFP