A hill that has been cleared from trees to make way for a corn plantation is visible in Polewali Mandar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Saturday, April 20, 2024. From trees felled in protected national parks to massive swaths of jungle razed for palm oil and paper plantations, Indonesia had a 27% uptick in primary forest loss in 2023 from the previous year, according to a World Resources Institute analysis of new deforestation data.
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A data analysis shows Indonesia had a 27% increase in primary forest loss in 2023. The losses were in protected national parks and in massive swaths of jungle cut down for palm oil and paper plantations and for mining. Despite that increase, the World Resources Institute said the analysis was generally good when compared to peak deforestation rates of several years ago. But others saw some cause for concern and tied some of the more recent deforestation to nickel mining. Indonesia has vast deposits of the metal that is crucial for the world's green energy transition.
