JAKARTA, BERITALINGKUNGAN.COM – A recent report by Auriga Nusantara has revealed a significant surge in deforestation across Indonesia in 2023, with a total of 257,384 hectares (Ha) of land being cleared. This marks an increase of 26,624 Ha from 2022, which saw 230,760 Ha of deforestation. According to the data released, Kalimantan emerged as the island with the highest rate of deforestation in the country.
Deforestation, the process of clearing forests or tree stands to repurpose the land for non-forest use such as agriculture, plantations, livestock, or settlements, is once again on the rise in Indonesia. Timer Manurung, the head of Auriga Nusantara, expressed his concern over this increasing trend. “This indicates a return to the old trend where deforestation in Indonesia is on the rise, and the increase is quite significant,” Manurung stated during the ‘Indonesia Deforestation Data Release 2023’ event on Friday (22/3).
Kalimantan recorded the highest deforestation figures at 124,611 Ha, nearly half of Indonesia’s total deforestation in 2023. West Kalimantan was the worst-hit area with 35,162 Ha, followed by Central Kalimantan (30,433 Ha), East Kalimantan (28,633 Ha), South Kalimantan (16,067 Ha), and North Kalimantan (14,316 Ha). “Almost half of the deforestation occurred in Kalimantan. This is an alarm bell for us all,” continued Manurung.
Other regions experiencing significant deforestation include Central Sulawesi with 16,679 Ha, Riau at 13,268 Ha, and Papua totaling more than 34,000 Ha. While not as extensive as in Kalimantan, deforestation in Papua also requires special attention.
Manurung further explained that a majority of deforestation occurred in forest areas, accounting for 73.2% or approximately 188,394 Ha. This deforestation spanned production forests, protected forests, and conservation areas. “This shows that the responsible authorities, especially the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), need to take more serious action in addressing deforestation, particularly in production and conservation forest areas,” Manurung emphasized.
Auriga Nusantara also released data on the 10 conservation areas with the most severe deforestation, with SM Pegunungan Jayawijaya experiencing the largest damage, followed by Lorentz National Park, and Mamberamo Foja Wildlife Reserve.
- SM Pegunungan Jayawijaya – 1,591 Ha
- TN Lorentz – 1,284 Ha
- SM Mamberamo Foja – 1,033 Ha
- SM Pulau Dolok – 825 Ha
- TN Kerinci Seblat – 793 Ha
- CA Pegunungan Tambrauw Selatan – 714 Ha
- TN Tesso Nilo – 471 Ha
- TN Lore Lindu – 441 Ha
- TN Gunung Leuser – 332 Ha
- CA Faruhumpenai – 306 Ha
These findings are hoped to serve as a basis for policy making and concrete actions by the government and all stakeholders in efforts to halt deforestation and restore Indonesia’s environmental health. (Marwan Aziz)
