Forest Status in Aceh: Mostly Protected and Conservation Forests

According to Ministry of Forestry data, the forest area in Aceh Province reached 3.12 million hectares in 2024.

This figure refers to the area of forested land where trees and natural ecosystems grow, located within "forest areas" and "other use areas".

"Forest areas" are areas legally designated by the government for forestry functions, including conservation forests, protection forests, and production forests.

Meanwhile, "other use areas" or APL are areas outside "forest areas" that are used for non-forestry activities, such as agriculture, plantations, mining, infrastructure development, and settlements.

In 2024, approximately 2.89 million hectares (93%) of Aceh Province's forests were located within forest areas, and the remaining 230 thousand hectares (7%) were within APL.

Of the 2.89 million hectares of Aceh Province's forests located within "forest areas", about half or 56% are designated as protection forests, and 27% as conservation forests.

Protection forests are forests that function to protect life-support systems, such as regulating water systems, preventing floods, controlling erosion, preventing seawater intrusion, and maintaining soil fertility.

Meanwhile, conservation forests function for the preservation of plant, animal, and ecosystem diversity with specific characteristics.

The remaining 17% are designated as production forests, including permanent production forests, limited production forests, or convertible production forests.

Production forests are forests whose primary function is to produce timber and non-timber forest products. Generally, production forests are planted with a few types of commercially valuable plants, such as teak trees, acacia trees, rubber trees, and so on.

Some production forests can also be converted for uses outside the forestry sector, such as agriculture, plantations, and settlements.

Below are the details of forest area within "forest areas" in Aceh Province based on their functional status in 2024:

• Protection forests: 1.63 million hectares (56% of the total forest area within "forest areas" in Aceh Province)
• Conservation forests: 775.4 thousand hectares (27%)
• Permanent, limited, and convertible production forests: 482.2 thousand hectares (17%)