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 to cause extensive deforestation and exploitation of peatlands.

In 2022, a larger area of primary forest was converted to plantations (acacia and eucalyptus) than the previous year, with 25,887 hectares being cleared in 2022 and 12,320 hectares cleared in 2021 (white bars in Figure 1), indicating a doubling in pulp-driven deforestation and the highest level since 2014.

Surprisingly, fewer peatlands were converted, with 24,000 ha cleared in 2022 compared to 26,111 ha cleared in 2021 (white bars; Figure 2), representing a 8% decline.

Almost all this pulp-driven deforestation occurred in Kalimantan (25,077 ha were cleared, light bar in left panel; Figure 3).

In Kalimantan, plantations expanded at a record high of 66,032 ha in 2022 (light and dark bars in left panel; Figure 3 or Figure 4).

Peatlands conversion in Kalimantan also increased, with 12,898 ha cleared (Figure 4), a 86 % increase since 2021 (6,937 ha converted).

Two companies: Mayawana Persada (Alas Kusuma) and Industrial Forest Plantation (Nusantara Fiber) are responsible for 70% (18,098 ha cleared) of total pulp-driven deforestation recorded in 2022 (25,887 ha). See Tables 1 and 2 at the end of document and interactive map over Mayawana Persada.

Alas Kusuma has Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificates via two logging concessions subsidiaries, PT Sari Bumi Kusuma and PT Suka Jaya Makmur, but destroys orangutan habitat and drains peatlands with deep canals. Among the prominent buyers of Alas Kusuma’s plywood is Itochu Corporation.

Nusantara Fiber (Industrial Forest Plantation ) has connections to Indonesia’s giant pulp and paper company Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), although RGE have denied any association.

Another FSC-certified company is pulping natural forest in Papua to produce eco-friendly paper.

Over the past 22 years, the expanding pulp and paper industry in Indonesia established 3.05 Mha of plantations, the size of Belgium, and converted 1.02 million hectares of forest in the process, destroying animal habitats and biodiversity while turning vast areas of carbon sink swamp forests into fire-prone wastelands.

This deforestation represents 10% of Indonesia’s total loss of old-growth forests (10.19 Mha) recorded over the two decades, including 630,000 ha of ecologically sensitive peat-swamp forest cleared. In addition, the industry drained 1 million hectares of peat swamps for plantations, about one-third of the total Indonesian peat swamp forest destruction of 3.2 million hectares over two decades (2001-2021).

Interactive map

Table 1. The list of companies who developed new plantations at the expense of forest in 2022, ranked from worst to least forest destroyer. This table includes the amount of forest on mineral soils converted and the amount of peat-swamp forest converted.

	Company Name	Group	Concession Area (Ha)	Location	Total Deforestation
1	Mayawana Persada	Alas Kusuma	138,809	West Kalimantan	11,308
2	Industrial Forest Plantati0N	Nusantara Fiber	101,416	Central Kalimantan	6,790
3	Jaya Bumi Paser		23,597	East Kalimantan	1,239
4	Sendawar Adhi Karya		24,077	East Kalimantan	807
5	Intraca Hutani Lestari		41,611	North Kalimantan	535
6	Baratama Putra Perkasa		36,038	Central Kalimantan	440
7	Grace Putri Perdana		29,221	Central Kalimantan	420
8	Siemon Agro		10,161	Central Kalimantan	369
9	Hutan Rindang Banua	Sinar Mas Group (UFS-DSS)	247,618	South Kalimantan	276
10	Fajar Wana Lestari		17,697	West Kalimantan	251
11	Plasma Nuftah Marind Papua	Moorim	64,437	Papua	205
12	Taiyoung Engreen		4,678	South Sumatera	141
13	Dharma Hutani Makmur	RAPP open market suppliers	55,605	East Kalimantan	138
14	Hutan Produksi Lestari		10,029	Central Kalimantan	130
15	Buana Megatama Jaya		43,111	West Kalimantan	119
16	Bakayan Jaya Abadi	Nusantara Fiber	15,083	East Kalimantan	110
17	Selaras Inti Semesta	Medco	166,751	Papua	91
18	Indosubur Sukses Makmur		28,215	East Kalimantan	80
19	Bukit Raya Mudisa	RAPP supply partner	28,004	West Sumatera	79
20	Sumatera Riang Lestari	RAPP supply partner	49,507	Riau	64
21	Muara Sungai  Landak		11,847	West Kalimantan	35
22	Silva Rimba Lestari		88,717	East Kalimantan	25
23	Wanakerta Ekalestari		26,608	West Kalimantan	12

Table 2. The list of companies who developed new plantations at the expense of peatlands in 2022, ranked from worst to least peatland destroyer. This table includes the amount of forest and non forest on peat converted.

No	Company Name	Group	Concession Area (Ha)	Location	Clearing on Peat
1	Mayawana Persada	Alas Kusuma	138,809	West Kalimantan	6,762
2	Siemon Agro		10,161	Central Kalimantan	3,656
3	Bumi Mekar Hijau	Sinar Mas Forestry Affiliated	250,272	South Sumatera	2,520
4	Sumatera Riang Lestari	RAPP supply partner	49,507	Riau	1,089
5	Industrial Forest Plantation	Nusantara Fiber	101,416	Central Kalimantan	1,022
6	Tiesico Cahaya Pertiwi		4,678	South Sumatera	867
7	Buana Megatama Jaya		43,111	West Kalimantan	745
8	Bumi Andalas Permai	Sinar Mas Forestry Affiliated	189,529	South Sumatera	735
9	Sba Wood Industries	Sinar Mas Forestry Affiliated	136,612	South Sumatera	691
10	Baratama Putra Perkasa		36,038	Central Kalimantan	297
11	Hutan Ketapang Ind (Dh. Kertas Basuki R)		97,979	West Kalimantan	136
12	Rimba Hutani Mas	Sinar Mas Forestry Affiliated	102,261	Jambi	48

TheTreeMap endeavours to protect tropical forests through scientific research and advanced monitoring platforms. We are cartographers, remote sensing engineers, software developers, and field investigators.  We empower civil society with the tools to detect deforestation in real-time and ensure what happens on the ground is fair, transparent, and democratic. We build systems that check the deforestation footprint of agribusinesses in tropical forests to ensure sustainable production. Our work is based on the premise that no one wants food and other products to be the cause of forest destruction.