Indonesia's Forest Cover: 50% in 2020, But Declining

As of 2020, Indonesia's forest cover stood at 93.6 million hectares—approximately 50% of its total land area (187.6 million ha).

Trend: Steady Decline

• 1990: ~118 million ha (63%).
• 2000: ~105 million ha (56%).
• 2010: ~98 million ha (52%).
• 2020: ~93.6 million ha (50%).

Annual loss averaged ~0.5–1% in recent decades, though rates fluctuate with policy and commodity prices.

Primary Drivers of Deforestation

1. Industrial Agriculture: Oil palm (largest driver), pulpwood (acacia/eucalyptus), rubber.
2. Logging: Selective and clear-cut, often illegal or exceeding concessions.
3. Mining: Coal, nickel, gold—especially in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Papua.
4. Infrastructure: Roads, dams, urban expansion fragment forests.
5. Fires: Often human-set for land clearing; exacerbated by El Niño droughts on peatlands.

Conservation Efforts

Moratorium on new primary forest/peat licenses (since 2011), social forestry (12.7M ha target), FLEGT timber licensing, and corporate zero-deforestation commitments. Enforcement remains uneven.

Indonesia's forests are globally critical for biodiversity (orangutans, tigers, elephants), carbon storage, and indigenous livelihoods.