By AFP - Agence France Presse
Activists criticize Indonesia's 'destructive' forest conversion plan
Indonesia's plan to convert millions of hectares of forest for food and energy use is “environmentally illogical and destructive”, and risks irreversible loss of the environment and biodiversity, activists warned on Monday.
The Indonesian government wants to transform 20 million hectares (49 million acres) of forests into areas for food and energy production and water reserves, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said recently in a statement.
The government has identified 1.1 million hectares of land that could produce up to 3.5 million tons of rice a year, equivalent to Indonesia's total rice imports in 2023, he said, adding that the government also plans to plant sugar palms as a source of bioethanol.
President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October, has promised to increase the country's food and energy self-sufficiency, including by expanding bio-based fuels to reduce fuel imports.
But the plan, which will affect an area almost twice the size of Indonesia's main island of Java, contradicts the government's food and energy security goals, the Clean Transition Coalition of environmental NGOs said in a statement.
The proposal raised concerns that more forest areas would be cleared to make way for oil palm plantations - Indonesia's main export commodity and one of the main drivers of deforestation in the archipelago - activists said.
“The plan to open up 20 million hectares of land significantly increases the risk of palm oil expansion,” said Sawit Watch executive director Achmad Surambo.
Research by environmental NGO Satya Bumi showed that existing oil palm plantations already cover 17.77 million hectares across the archipelago.
Indonesia's forestry ministry and a presidential spokesman did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
Last week, Minister Raja dismissed concerns about deforestation, insisting that the proposal would not clear the forest but would “maximize” its function through agroforestry systems, local media reported.
The Indonesian government has also said that the target will be land that has already been granted in concessions, not virgin forest.
However, environmentalists have warned that even the mass conversion of agricultural land to export crops would be harmful.
“Instead of clearing forests, the government should focus on optimizing existing farmland, respecting indigenous rights, and implementing genuine agrarian reform,” the coalition said.
mrc/sah/mtp
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