The deforestation disaster
The world's third largest rainforest is largely threatened by deforestation. There are many complex reasons for this, but palm oil is one of the most devastating. Indonesia is the world's leading palm oil producer, accounting for 60% of global production. Every day, this disastrous form of agriculture leads to the disappearance of primary forests. It is estimated that between 1990 and 2010, 3.5 million hectares of forest were converted to oil palm fields in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. In other words, an area larger than Belgium has been transformed into a monoculture of oil palms.
Also in the dock is coal, of which Indonesia is the world's second-largest producer. However, open-cast mining destroys large tracts of tropical forest. Other factors, such as urbanization and the exploitation of tropical timber for commercial purposes, also play an important role in this ecological disaster.
Finally, fires also have disastrous consequences. They are caused by slash-and-burn farming, an agricultural method that allows fields to be cleared quickly by fire. However, farmers regularly lose control of the fire, which then becomes a major forest fire. Droughts, caused by global warming, also provide fertile ground for these ecological disasters. In 2015, the archipelago experienced large-scale fires, especially in Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo) and on the island of Sumatra.
The consequences of deforestation are disastrous, both for people and biodiversity. Many plant and animal species are threatened by the loss of their habitat, as in the case of the Sumatran orangutan(Pongo abelii), now critically endangered. On the human side, indigenous peoples such as the Dayak of Borneo are also seeing their way of life threatened.
However, spurred on by NGO campaigns, brand boycotts, and the already present effects of deforestation on the environment, Indonesia is now showing real efforts to halt the hecatomb. Indeed, since 2016, the pace of deforestation has been steadily slowing. Several major private-sector companies, notably palm oil and pulp manufacturers, have already committed to a zero deforestation charter. Good palm oil cultivation practices and a sustainable palm oil label have even been created. With regard to forest fires, a team of scientists has received a million-dollar investment from the government for their satellite mapping system, capable of detecting forest fires at an early stage. At the same time, restoration actions are taking place all over the country, such as a project to replant 600,000 ha of mangroves by 2024. As a result, since 2016, deforestation has been divided by 4.
After coal, the sun
Another consequence of deforestation is thatCO2 emissions are particularly high in Indonesia. The archipelago is even the tenth country in the world to have produced the most carbon dioxide. The rainforest is a major carbon sink. It retains carbon dioxide and releases it when it is cut down. At the same time, the country's heavy reliance on coal contributes significantly to these emissions, with 62% of the country's electricity production coming from coal.
The government is already taking steps to address this issue. In addition to reducing deforestation, it has embarked on a policy of transition to renewable energies. As part of COP27, it received the colossal sum of 20 billion dollars from developed countries, to get away from its dependence on coal. The state is currently working on several hydroelectric and solar power projects. However, results are still slow in coming. For example, despite almost constant sunshine, Indonesia has the lowest solar energy production of all G20 countries.
Will waste soon be a thing of the past?
Indonesia produces almost 7 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. This figure, already colossal, is increasing by 5% a year. In addition to this massive production, waste management lacks adequate infrastructure, so recycling is still underdeveloped. Conversely, garbage often ends up in open dumps or in waterways. The Citarum, Java's longest river, is considered the most polluted in the world. Plastic waste is omnipresent in Indonesia's paradisiacal landscapes, and Bali's beaches are regularly littered with garbage.
Yet this is a problem that the government is determined to curb. It has set itself the target of a 30% reduction in waste by 2025, and a 70% recycling rate. A ban on single-use plastics is scheduled for 2029. Thanks to these efforts, by 2021 the country had already reduced the amount of plastic reaching its oceans by almost a quarter, compared with 2018. In addition to government measures, numerous community initiatives are flourishing. The Sungai Watch association, founded by a group of French siblings living in Indonesia, has 90 members determined to clean the rivers of plastic waste using 180 waste barriers, to prevent it from landing in the ocean. French NGO The Sea Cleaners is also actively working to prevent plastic pollution in the Java Sea.
The capital on the move
Jakarta's urban area now exceeds 35 million inhabitants. The Indonesian capital has grown so rapidly and uncontrollably that it has become unliveable. In 2022, it was the sixth most polluted city in the world, according to IQAir. The water needs of the city's large population are putting enormous pressure on the city's over-exploited water tables. Finally, the weight of this sprawling city weighs on the soil, already degraded by the overexploitation of its water, to such an extent that the city is sinking rapidly, by 6 cm per year, to the point where it is now below sea level. By 2050, the city could be under water.
To curb this major problem, the government is counting on a more balanced population distribution. Although the country has 17,000 islands, making it the world's largest archipelago, 56% of its 270 million inhabitants live on the island of Java. The next capital, Nusantara, is already under construction on the island of Borneo. However, the new city has come in for a lot of criticism, not least for its environmental impact.
National parks
Indonesia has 54 national parks, covering around 12% of its territory. Although this proportion is below the global average, it is regularly enriched by new protected areas. These include 6 parks listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their special ecological importance. Ujung Kulon National Park, on the island of Java, was the first to receive this honor. It is indeed of particular interest, as it is home not only to the largest remaining rainforest on the island of Java, but also to the Krakatoa volcano. The volcano has played an important role in the preservation of the Javan Rhinoceros(Rhinoceros sondaicus). Its dramatic eruption in 1883 (also known as the loudest sound ever heard on Earth) killed tens of thousands of the island's inhabitants. The Java rhinoceros then colonized the depopulated island, where it still finds its last refuge today. The species is one of the 100 most endangered in the world.
Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park also covers a volcano on the island of Java. At 3,657 m, Semeru is Java's highest peak. This botanically rich natural site is home to over 200 species of orchid.
However, the trophy for the country's highest peak goes to Lorentz National Park, also a UNESCO World Heritage site. This protected area in Papua is the largest national park in Southeast Asia, and certainly one of the most ecologically rich in the world. Beyond its peak, Puncak Jaya, at an altitude of 4,884 m, Lorentz boasts a mosaic of exceptionally diverse landscapes, ranging from glaciers to mangroves, and even including unexplored areas.
Also exceptional is the Komodo National Park in the Sunda Islands. Originally intended to protect the endangered endemic Komodo dragon(Varanus komodoensis), it is in fact home to a rich biodiversity of manta rays, whale sharks, coral, dugongs, crab-eating macaques and sulphur cockatoos.
