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View all search resultsHow deforestation turbocharged Sumatra's deadly floods
Environmentalists, experts and even the government have pointed to the role forest loss played in flash flooding and landslides that washed torrents of mud into villages and stranded residents on roofs.
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Residents walk among piles of large timber washed ashore on Air Tawar Beach in Padang, West Sumatra, on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. The logs accumulated along Padang’s coastline following recent flash floods. (Antara/Iggoy el Fitra)
T
he deadly flooding that has killed hundreds in northern and western part of Sumatra was largely the result of monsoon rains and a rare tropical storm. But something else may have played a role: deforestation.
Environmentalists, experts and even the government have pointed to the role forest loss played in flash flooding and landslides that washed torrents of mud into villages and stranded residents on roofs.
Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to flash flooding and landslides.
Indonesia is regularly among the countries in the world with the largest annual forest loss.
Mining, plantations and fires have caused the clearance of large tracts of the country's lush rainforest over recent decades.
In 2024, over 240,000 hectares of primary forest was lost, and that was less than the year before, according to analysis by conservation start-up The TreeMap's Nusantara Atlas project.
"Forests upstream act as a protective barrier, a bit like a sponge," explained David Gaveau, founder of The TreeMap.
