Nusantara Blog
Read our location and evidence-based stories linking deforestation and fire alerts, time-lapse satellite animations, cadastres, field investigations, literature reviews, and other resources to understand the causes, consequences and solutions to deforestation and fires in Equatorial Asia.
- All articles (21)
Read our location and evidence-based stories linking deforestation and fire alerts, time-lapse satellite animations, cadastres, field investigations, literature reviews, and other resources to understand the causes, consequences and solutions to deforestation and fires in Equatorial Asia.
Illegal Deforestation Exposed in Indonesia’s Prime Biodiversity Hotspot.
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and The TreeMap have released unprecedented satellite evidence of widespread, palm oil-driven deforestation in Indonesia’s Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve. This reserve protects Western Sumatra’s last pristine lowland coastal peat-swamp forests, home to the highest concentration of Sumatran orangutans, around 1,500 individuals, or 10% of the total population. RAN and The TreeMap […]
Indonesia’s Mining Crossroads: New Map Unveils Opportunities for Environmental Monitoring
David Gaveau and Douglas Sheil wrote this article The TreeMap created the first 10-meter resolution map of Indonesia’s mining land footprint, highlighting open mining pits and infrastructures. Since 2001, 721,000 hectares, including 150,000 hectares of primary forest, have been transformed into mining infrastructures by December 2023. Coal mining had the largest impact, covering 322,000 hectares, […]
2023 Deforestation by the Wood Pulp Industry in Indonesia Surges, Hits Record Highs in Kalimantan
Rising global demand for wood pellets, wood pulp, viscose for clothing, paper, tissue and packaging is fueling a new wave of expansion in Indonesia, especially in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. In 2023, the conversion of Indonesian primary1 forests into fast-growing, intensively managed monoculture pulpwood plantations (mostly Acacia sp. or Eucalyptus sp.) saw another […]
2023 Marks a Surge in Palm Oil Expansion in Indonesia
In 2023, Indonesia saw an increase in deforestation caused by the expansion of intensively managed industrial monoculture palm oil plantations, following a record 21-year low in 2021 (White bars; Figure 1). Industrial plantations grew by 116,000 hectares in 2023 (White and black bars; Figure 1), a 54% increase from the previous year. The associated deforestation […]
Indonesia’s Pulp Industry, Deforestation Surge, and Domino Greenwashing Exposed.
Aerial Photo of PT Industrial Forest Plantation, (1°30’32.84”S – 114°11’12.21”E). Source: Fajar Sandhika / Auriga Nusantara
Decoding Fire Alerts in Nusantara Atlas
As Indonesia’s fire season escalates into its acute phase, exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, and with September historically marked as the most critical month for vegetation fires in the country, this article endeavours to provide clarity on fire alerts within the Nusantara Atlas. Its purpose is to assist users in comprehending and optimizing the […]
Deforestation monitoring goes mobile, empowering everyone to take action against deforestation!
Nusantara Atlas is coming to smartphones, and it’s a game changer! We’ve revamped the map interface specifically for mobile devices, improving user experience. This means more people can access it since almost everyone has a phone these days. With Nusantara Atlas on your phone, you’ll have a comprehensive view of landscapes right at your fingertips […]
Decoding Deforestation Alerts in Nusantara Atlas
This article aims to clarify deforestation alerts in Nusantara Atlas, helping users comprehend and maximize the use of this data. Nusantara Atlas is on the front lines of the fight against deforestation in palm oil, pulp-and-paper, and mining supply chains in Equatorial Asia. By combining near real-time deforestation alerts, and comprehensive cadastral and supply chain […]
Sumatran orangutans on the Brink: Palm Oil Deforestation Breaks Records in key Protected Area
While palm oil-driven deforestation in Indonesia slowed to a 20-year low in 2021 and stabilised in 2022, a critical protected area suffered unprecedented destruction in Aceh Province, Sumatra. A study conducted by TheTreeMap, utilizing satellite imagery from Sentinel-2 and Planet/NICFI, shows that the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve suffered a record loss of 700 hectares of primary peat-swamp forest […]
Pulp-and-paper Driven deforestation in Indonesia accelerates in 2022
Analysis by TheTreeMap, conducted using Sentinel-2 and Planet/NICFI satellite imagery. The rate of deforestation caused by the production of pulp, a wood product used to make paper, has decreased significantly in Indonesia since reaching its highest point in 2011 (as seen in the white bars in Figure 1). Despite this positive trend, the pulp and paper industry in Indonesia continues […]