Indonesia lost 433,751 hectares of forest in 2025 - a 66% surge from 2024 and the highest rate in eight years, according to Auriga Nusantara, a leading environmental think tank.
The spike is tied to President Prabowo Subianto’s aggressive food and energy self-sufficiency campaign, which allocated 20.6 million hectares of forest land for state-backed projects. Over 78,000 hectares - equivalent to the size of New York City - were cleared for rice cultivation on unsuitable peatland.
Biomass production for bioenergy consumed 37,910 hectares within oil palm concessions, while 41,162 hectares were cleared for coal, gold, and nickel mining. East Kalimantan, site of Indonesia’s new capital, was the most affected province.
Borneo suffered the steepest forest decline, followed by Sumatra and Papua. Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra saw deforestation spike by 426%, 281%, and 1,034% respectively - correlating with devastating floods and landslides.
Auriga’s chairman, Timer Manurung, warned that the government’s reliance on the Omnibus Law and National Strategic Projects continues to erode environmental safeguards, setting the stage for intensified fires during the upcoming El Niño dry season.