Analysis of Indonesian Forest Cover Trends Over the Last 21 Years

The World Bank presents a year-by-year trend in the proportion of Indonesia's forest area to its total land area. This data is compiled by the World Bank from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

For over two decades, the proportion of forest area to land area has frequently decreased. An increase occurred only once, from 2015 to 2016.

In 2015, the forest area reached 50.6% of the land area. This figure slightly increased to 50.7% in 2016. After 2016, the figure decreased again.

The most significant decrease occurred between 1999 and 2000. The proportion of forest area to land area was 56.9% in 1999, drastically dropping to 53.9%. This was the most significant year-on-year decrease between 1990 and 2020.

From 2001 to 2010, the forest area remained consistently above 53% of the land area. However, it still experienced a slight annual decrease of 0.1%. Afterward, a more substantial decrease occurred, from 53.1% in 2010 to 52.6% in 2011.

According to the latest World Bank data, the proportion of forest area reached 49.1% of the land area in 2020.

The World Bank states that the data includes areas with bamboo and palm trees; forest roads, firebreaks, and other small open areas; forests in national parks, nature reserves, and other protected areas, including those for scientific and spiritual purposes; windbreaks and tree corridors larger than 0.5 hectares and wider than 20 meters; and plantations primarily used for forestry or protection purposes.

The data does not include tree stands in agricultural production systems, such as fruit plantations and agroforestry systems. Urban parks and gardens are also excluded.

The total land area excludes inland bodies of water such as large rivers and lakes.

The calculation involves dividing a country's total forest area by its total land area and multiplying by 100. The World Bank notes that changes in proportion are calculated to identify trends.

The World Bank also notes that year-to-year variations may be due to updated or revised data reflecting changes in area.

In a broader context, calculating forest area is crucial for taking anticipatory measures against the increasing threat to biodiversity.

"Deforestation is a major cause of biodiversity loss, and habitat conservation is crucial to curb this loss," the World Bank states on its official website.

The World Bank also explains that forests cover approximately 31% of the world's total land area. The total area of the world's forests is just over 4 billion hectares.

"More than one-third of all forests are primary forests, which are forests of native species where there is no clear indication of human activity and ecological processes are not significantly disturbed," says the World Bank.

(See also: Indonesia's Forest Area Decreases by Almost One Million Hectares in 5 Years)