Indonesia's forests, spanning over 189 million hectares, have experienced significant changes in tree cover over the years. The country's tree cover extent, which stands at approximately 160 million hectares, has seen a net change in tree cover with a loss of 9 million hectares and a gain of nearly 4.90 million hectares, resulting in a net loss of over 4.10 million hectares, marking a 2.62% decrease.
The drivers of tree cover loss include shifting agriculture, forestry activities, and urbanization. Shifting agriculture alone accounted for a tree cover loss of several thousand hectares annually, with corresponding CO2 emissions in the millions of megagrams. Forestry activities have consistently been a major driver, with tens of thousands of hectares lost each year. Urbanization, although contributing the least to tree cover loss, still resulted in thousands of hectares lost.
Explore country profileAmid these trends, Indonesia recently faced a fire incident in South Sumatra on August 27, 2024, adding to the environmental challenges. This single incident, while seemingly minor with only one alert reported, is part of a broader context of environmental disturbances that the country continues to confront.
