Land in Indonesia is divided into two main categories: state forest area and non-forest area (APL). A state forest zone consists of both protected and production areas, while APL land is mostly designated for agriculture and human settlement. These land designations, however, do not necessarily match with the actual land-cover on the ground. Some APL land is forested, while many of the forest estates have been highly degraded with little or no forest cover remaining. Out of 67 million hectares of APL, about 7 million ha (11.4 percent) is forested, either primary (1.3 million ha) or secondary forest (5.7 million ha). A lot of the country’s unique biodiversity is found outside protected areas. It is estimated, for example, that around 75 percent of the orangutan population lives outside of the areas that are designated for conservation purposes. Recognizing this mismat...

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