Indonesia's Rate of Primary Forest Loss Decreases Over the Past Five Years

Global Forest Watch reports that the rate of primary forest loss in Indonesia continued to decline in 2021 for five consecutive years, decreasing by 25% compared to 2020.

In 2020, Indonesia lost 270,000 hectares of primary forest. This resulted in carbon emissions of 208 metric tons (mt). Primary forest loss then decreased to 200,000 hectares in 2021.

This downward trend in forest loss indicates that Indonesia is moving in the right direction to fulfill part of its climate commitments. Last year, Indonesia updated its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with a commitment to reduce emissions in the forestry and land use sector to achieve total carbon absorption by 2030.

Recent research from Global Forest Watch shows that deforestation related to palm oil is at its lowest point in 20 years. The No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation (NDPE) commitment now covers 83% of palm oil refining capacity in Indonesia and Malaysia, and over 80% of the pulp and paper industry in Indonesia.

Furthermore, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) tightened its sustainable certification requirements in 2018 to prohibit deforestation and peatland clearing.

This decrease also reflects the Indonesian government's efforts to reduce forest loss. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry increased monitoring and fire prevention efforts after the widespread forest and peatland fires of 2015.

The government also issued a permanent moratorium on the conversion of primary forest and peatland, and expanded the mandate of the Peat Restoration Agency to include the protection and restoration of mangrove forests and peatlands. Mangroves are vital ecosystems for biodiversity and regulating the impact of extreme weather.

Although Indonesia has reason to celebrate the five-year decline in forest loss, it needs to strengthen forest protection measures to maintain this positive trend.

(read: This is the ranking of the 10 countries with the highest loss of tropical primary forest land in 2021. Where is Indonesia?)