Indonesia's pulp and paper industry is once again driving up deforestation rates

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, Indonesia's pulp and paper industry was one of the main drivers of deforestation in the country. Under public pressure, a growing number of wood pulp and paper producers and buyers have adopted zero-deforestation commitments.

In the wake of corporate pledges to halt deforestation, data from the supply chain transparency initiative Trase shows a sharp drop in deforestation, with average deforestation rates down 85% compared to the three-year average in 2017-19 and 2010-12.

However, according to Trase's analysis using satellite data from the forest loss monitoring platform TheTreeMap, forest loss caused by Indonesia's pulp industry has risen again since 2017, with a five-fold increase in 2022 compared to 2017.

According to Trase's analysis, Indonesia's total pulp production has increased by 46% since 2015.

"Production has increased 46 percent in the last eight years and deforestation has increased significantly," said Hilman Afif, an activist with environmental NGO Auriga Nusantara.

As the global demand for wood pulp and its derivatives continues to grow, the Indonesian pulp wood industry is expected to achieve even greater growth, and pulp mills in Indonesia are also planning to increase capacity.

According to Trase's analysis, there are 2.9 million hectares (7.16 million acres) of natural forest in Indonesia's pulpwood concession areas as of 2022. 1.3 million hectares (3.21 million acres) of these forests are concession areas located in Kalimantan that do not yet supply wood to pulp mills.

These concessions that do not yet supply wood to pulp mills also have the highest rate of deforestation since 2017, compared to franchises that actively supply wood to pulp mills.

Timer therefore calls on the government to implement comprehensive protection for all natural forests in Indonesia, especially those with high carbon stocks (HCS) and high conservation value (HCV).

In addition to deforestation, the pulp and paper industry is also linked to land and forest fires and peat subsidence, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate global warming.