PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA — Indonesia recorded a net deforestation rate of 175,400 hectares in 2024, according to the latest annual forest monitoring report by the Ministry of Forestry. While this marks a slight increase from the previous year, the figure remains below the average of the past decade, reflecting the impact of ongoing forest governance reforms.
The monitoring covered 187 million hectares of land, including both forested and non-forested areas, using Landsat satellite imagery provided by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). As of 2024, Indonesia’s forested area stands at 95.5 million hectares—representing 51.1% of the country’s landmass—with 91.9% located within officially designated forest zones.
“Most gross deforestation occurred in secondary forests, accounting for 200.6 thousand hectares or 92.8%, primarily within forest areas,” the Ministry stated in its official release on Wednesday (April 16, 2025), as quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com. While gross deforestation reached 216.2 thousand hectares, this was partially offset by reforestation efforts covering 40.8 thousand hectares.
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To further reduce forest loss, the government launched a Forest and Land Rehabilitation (RHL) program targeting 217.9 thousand hectares—71.3 thousand hectares within forest zones and 146.6 thousand hectares outside—funded through both state and non-state budgets.
“Over the past decade, Indonesia has averaged around 230 thousand hectares of rehabilitated land annually. This has been a key strategy for reducing deforestation and enhancing land cover, including through agroforestry systems,” the statement added.
A range of policies have contributed to the declining deforestation trend, including strengthened forest fire prevention, moratoriums on new licenses for primary forests and peatlands, and improved enforcement of forestry laws. These efforts are part of Indonesia’s broader FOLU Net Sink 2030 agenda, which aims to balance carbon emissions and absorption in the forestry sector by the end of the decade.
With deforestation trends showing signs of stabilization, the Ministry expressed optimism that these strategic measures would reinforce Indonesia’s long-term commitment to sustainable forest management and global climate change mitigation. (P2)
