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.
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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.
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 […]
Horrific case of modern slavery linked to palm oil production georeferenced
A recent investigation by The Gecko Project uncovered disturbing human abuses in a palm oil mill called Dewa Rencana Perangin Angin in Raja Tengah village, Langkat, Sumatra. Public disclosures from firms including Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo, PZ Cussons, and Johnson & Johnson show that these companies sourced palm oil from this mill. Young men in rehabilitation […]
Palm oil deforestation in Indonesia levels off in 2022
Analysis by TheTreeMap, conducted using Sentinel-2 and Planet/NICFI satellite imagery In 2022, Indonesia experienced its second-lowest annual deforestation caused by industrial palm oil production, following a record 22-year low in 2021. Industrial plantations grew by just 59,965 hectares in 2022, a 29% decrease from the previous year and a 22-year low (2001-2022). Surprisingly, palm oil-driven deforestation increased 14% from the […]
The vanishing forests of Tesso Nilo National Park
Palm oil-driven deforestation in Indonesia slowed to a 20-year low in 2021 and is stabilizing in 2022. It is good news, but we see worrying developments in Tesso Nilo National Park, Riau Province, Sumatra. Deforestation is accelerating again in Tesso Nilo. Despite genuine and dedicated conservation efforts by the Park Office, the rampant, and illegal clearing of […]
Severe fire activity declines in Equatorial Asia
Fires less severe today than in early 2000s, particularly in managed landscapes VANCOUVER (Sept. 19, 2022) – Fires have become less severe in Equatorial Asia, potentially marking a new chapter for this tropical epicentre of burning, drought, and related carbon emissions, according to new research published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on Monday. Using satellite data, […]
Palm oil-driven deforestation in Indonesia keeps slowing in 2022
For two decades, deforestation rates in Indonesia were linked to the price of crude palm oil. Historically, a price increase of 1 per cent was associated with a 1.08 per cent increase in new industrial oil palm plantations and a 0.68 per cent increase in forest loss. But, the link between prices and deforestation in […]
Palm oil giant using ‘shadow companies’ to hide links to deforestation of tiger habitat in Sumatra?
PT Usaha Sawit Unggul (PT USU), a subsidiary of PT Sumatera Makmur Sejahtera, has cleared more than 350 hectares of natural forest in Mandailing Natal, Sumatra, since the start of the year. Clearing operations are ongoing, indicating that further losses are likely. The area is part of the larger Batang Gadis-Rimbo-Panti forest landscape, the home […]