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Indonesia’s record improves as global deforestation worsens
Indonesia had managed to reduced its tropical primary forest loss by 64 percent as of 2022, according to data from the latest report by the Global Forest Watch (GFW) think tank.
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Children hold cardboard puppets and a poster that reads “Save Indonesia’s forests” during a show about animal conservation by former teacher Samsudin, in this file photo taken recently. (AFP/Timur Matahari)
Indonesia has reduced the loss of crucial forest cover amid worsening global trends, a 2022 Global Forest Watch (GFW) report shows.
As one of the so-called “lungs of the world”, scrutiny of Indonesia’s climate and environment policies is more pronounced than with other nations, as the global climate crisis makes the planet more uninhabitable for future generations.
According to the GFW report released last week, the world continued to suffer from deforestation, with about 4.1 million hectares of tropical primary forest loss recorded in 2022, or about 10 percent more than the previous year.
Of that figure, Indonesia lost 230,000 ha, an increase from 203,000 ha in 2021, but which on average is still considered “historically low”, according to analysis from senior geographic information systems researcher Elizabeth Goldman of the GFW.
The data is determined by comparing average forest loss between 2015 and 2017 with that of 2020-2022. Using this method, Indonesia had managed to reduce by 64 percent primary forest loss as of 2022.
“Indonesia has reduced its primary forest loss more than any other country in recent years, and both government measures and corporate actions are coming together to have a positive impact on forests there,” Goldman said during a briefing on the report on June 22.
She noted that hot spot monitoring, law enforcement, a moratorium on natural forest clearing and commitments to protect peatland and mangrove areas were just some of the policies that had contributed to the improved outcome.
