Global Deforestation Surges Alarming:

Indonesia at a Crossroads Between Green Commitments and Short-Term Economic Development

Jakarta, October 16, 2025 — Over the past three years, global forest loss has risen sharply after previously declining significantly between 2017 and 2021. The latest Forest Declaration Assessment (FDA) report, released on October 13, 2025, confirms that the world is failing to meet its pledge to halt deforestation. Indonesia, once hailed as a success story, now embodies this contradiction — celebrated as a model of progress on one hand, yet reopening the path to environmental destruction in the name of development and investment on the other.

Indonesia’s success in curbing deforestation between 2017 and 2021 stemmed from bold policies at the time — the palm oil moratorium, strengthened fire prevention, and stricter law enforcement. However, those hard-won gains are now eroding amid weakening political commitment and new policies that legally enable further forest clearance.

“The government seems eager to maintain a green image at the global level, but domestically, policies such as the Food and Energy Sovereignty Plan and the easing of mining permits point in the opposite direction,” said Hilman Afif, Campaigner at Auriga Nusantara.

The recent rise in deforestation serves as a stark warning that Indonesia’s FOLU Net Sink 2030 target risks becoming mere rhetoric if not accompanied by concrete measures to protect remaining natural forests — both within and outside designated forest zones. The revocation of four mining permits in Raja Ampat in 2025 was widely praised as a progressive move, but in reality, it only scratches the surface. There are still 381 active mining permits across 289 small islands, covering 921,000 hectares, posing ongoing threats to coastal ecosystems and the livelihoods of local communities.

Meanwhile, permanent agriculture remains the dominant driver of global deforestation — accounting for 86 percent, according to the FDA. This mirrors Indonesia’s own situation, where the expansion of timber plantations, palm oil estates, and now bioenergy crops continues to encroach on natural forests. In Gorontalo, for instance, bioenergy plantation projects have expanded rapidly, fueled not only by national policy but also by global market demand for biomass as a “green” energy source. Ironically, Indonesia’s biomass exports to Japan surged between 2021 and 2024 — a grim reminder that one country’s clean energy transition is being built upon another’s ecological degradation.

Forests are also under mounting pressure from the booming nickel industry, touted as a cornerstone of the global energy transition. Yet this industry has inflicted new wounds across eastern Indonesia, where forests are being cleared to mine raw materials for electric vehicles marketed as environmentally friendly. This paradox exposes how the so-called green transition remains entangled in extractive practices that destroy ecosystems and displace local communities.

Further, the government’s plan to open 481,000 hectares of forest in Merauke under the Food and Energy Sovereignty Plan signals that future deforestation is no longer a matter of negligence but a conscious political choice. Rather than strengthening the protection of natural forests, this policy expands agroindustrial concessions into areas that have long served as vital strongholds of biodiversity.

At the same time, uneven law enforcement deepens the environmental justice crisis. The state remains far quicker to prosecute smallholders and Indigenous peoples than large corporations responsible for industrial-scale deforestation. Many Indigenous communities protecting their ancestral forests continue to face criminalization and forced eviction.

“This situation shows that deforestation is not merely the result of weak governance but of an economic and political system that treats forests as permanent casualties of both global and domestic ambitions. Global demand for high-risk commodities — palm oil, timber, biomass, and nickel — keeps growing without proper due diligence mechanisms. Importing countries demand deforestation-free commodities while turning a blind eye to the destruction occurring in producer nations,” said Timer Manurung, Chair of Auriga Nusantara.

Indonesia now stands at a crucial crossroads: between its commitment to the global climate agenda — often showcased on international platforms — and the pursuit of short-term economic growth that comes at the expense of the environment. The government must decide whether to continue cultivating a green façade abroad or to genuinely enforce protections for forests and the communities who depend on them.

Ultimately, the world must also confront its own reflection: a green transition built on the ashes of tropical forests is not a solution — it is a betrayal of the planet’s future.

Contacts:
Hilman Afif, (hilman@auriga.or.id)
Campaigner Auriga Nusantara