This Country’s Deforestation Rate Is at an All-Time Low

The deforestation rate in Indonesia hit an all-time low in 2020, with a 75% drop from 2019, thanks to many factors including weather and economy, and the government’s many policies to protect its forests.

“This [drop in deforestation] shows that various efforts done by the Ministry Environment and Forestry lately have produced significant results,” said Ruandha Agung Suhardiman, the forestry ministry’s director-general of planning. “Their impact on reducing deforestation is tremendous.”

Among the policies put in place to protect the country’s forests is a permanent ban on issuing few permits to clear primary forests and peatlands, a moratorium on new palm oil permits licenses, land rehabilitation, and stricter punishment against environmental violations, and those efforts show results.