Deforestation in Sumatra's Forests Reached 78,000 Hectares in 2024, with Riau and Aceh Being the Largest.

According to data from the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) in the *Ministry of Forestry Statistics 2024* report, the net deforestation figure for 10 provinces on Sumatra Island reached 78.03 thousand hectares (ha) in 2024.

Net deforestation refers to the net change in forest cover over a specific period, calculated from the gross deforestation area (loss of forest cover) minus the area of reforestation and/or afforestation (forest regrowth or new forest formation).

The deforestation components calculated in the report include areas both inside and outside forest zones.

Within forest areas, there are conservation forests (HK), protected forests (HL), limited production forests (HPT), production forests (HP), and convertible production forests (HPK). Outside forest areas, there are other land use areas (APL).

Of all provinces in Sumatra, Riau and Aceh had the two largest deforestation figures in 2024.

Riau's net deforestation figure was recorded at 29.7 thousand ha. Based on its forest area components, the largest deforestation originated from production forests (HP) (11.22 thousand), limited production forests (HPT) (7.91 thousand), and other land use areas (APL) outside forests (4.1 thousand).

Meanwhile, in Aceh, total deforestation amounted to 11.2 thousand ha. The largest deforestation components within and outside forest areas were in other land use areas (APL) (5.88 thousand), production forests (HP) (2.18 thousand), and protected forests (HL) (2.02 thousand).

Outside these top two provinces, the deforestation area was less than 10 thousand ha. The province with the lowest deforestation was Lampung, at 213.2 ha.

Below are the details of the net deforestation area in 10 provinces on Sumatra Island in 2024, ordered from largest:

1. Riau: 29,702.1 ha

2. Aceh: 11,208.5 ha

3. Jambi: 8,290.6 ha

4. North Sumatra: 7,034.9 ha

5. West Sumatra: 6,634.2 ha

6. Bangka Belitung Islands: 5,664.1 ha

7. Bengkulu: 4,874.5 ha

8. South Sumatra: 4,027.1 ha

9. Riau Islands: 381.4 ha

10. Lampung: 213.2 ha

Total: 78,030.6 ha.