Indonesias forests degrading fastest in the world, palm oil blamed

downtoearth.org.in

Despite imposing a moratorium on granting new

licences for clearing or logging, Indonesia has
become a country with highest rate of deforestation
across the world. Experts believe that land clearing
mostly for oil palm plantations and other agroindustrial land uses is the main reason behind the
trend.

The authors of report have also found government figures

underestimated the true toll of forest clearing b y as much as half
(Photo: Flickr)

Using satellite images, a study published in journal

Nature Climate Change, has found that over 12
years, the Southeast Asian archipelago lost six
million hectares of primary forests, an area half the
size of England. About 40 per cent of the total
forest loss occurred within protected forest lands,
indicating that illegal land extension may play a
significant role in the deforestation.

According to Matthew Hansen, co-author and a professor in the Department of Geographical Science at
the University of Maryland in the United States, while the study does not include the fate of the cleared
forest, Indonesias expanding oil palm plantations are a significant driver of forest loss. The reports
authors have also found government figures underestimated the true toll of forest clearing by as much as
half.
In conflict with the authors allegations, in a report published in Asian Scientist, Erwinsyah, a scientist from
government agency Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute has confirmed the spectacular growth of oil
palm fields in Indonesia but denied that all deforestation can be blamed on oil palm companies. The
sources of oil palm land extension are primarily from villagers lands that have been abandoned or from
degraded forests that are now being used commercially, he told SciDev.Net.
The oil palm, from which palm oil is extracted, is native to West Africa but was brought to Asias tropical
regions by traders during the mid-19th Century. Today, Indonesia and Malaysia produce more than 85 per
cent of a global market that is now worth 44 billion dollars.
Reports also suggest that clearing rainforest to make way for plantations has taken a heavy toll on local
communities, destroyed natural habitats for endangered species, and become a critical (if underreported)
factor in climate change.
Another study, published last month had also revealed that oil palm plantations are not only encroaching on
forests, they are also degrading water quality. The study was published in Journal of Geophysical
Research: Biogeosciences. The implications for local communities, which depend on streams as a source
of water and fish, are potentially significant, said Kim Carlson, lead author of that study.
Huge swaths of Indonesia are burned each year to clear forest for plantations, drastically increasing the
release of carbon dioxide. The country is the worlds third worst emitter of greenhouse gases after the US
and China.