Indonesia

Indonesia is a treasure chest of biodiversity; it is home to between 10 and 15 per cent of all known species of plants, mammals and birds. Orang-utans, elephants, tigers, rhinoceroses, more than 1,500 species of birds and thousands of plant species are all a part of the country's natural legacy.

The mass destruction of Indonesia's rainforests and carbon-rich peatlands for palm oil and paper threatens this and is the main reason why Indonesia is one of the world's largest emitters of climate changing greenhouse gases.

The lives of millions of Indonesians who depend on the forests for food, shelter and livelihoods are also changing beyond recognition as the forest disappears.

This destruction also threatens our wider world; peatlands are perhaps the world's most critical carbon stores, and Indonesia's peatlands are vast, storing about 35 billion tonnes of carbon. When these peatlands are drained, burned and replaced by plantations, carbon dioxide is released and the conditions are set for devastating forest fires, which were responsible, for instance, for Singapore's 'haze wave' in 2013

The latest updates

 

Palm oil: who’s still trashing forests?

Blog entry by Annisa Rahmawati | 3 March, 2016 3 comments

How 'clean' is the palm oil used by major brands around the world? Today, we're releasing the results of our investigation into which companies are keeping promises to stop deforestation in Indonesia for palm oil. Take a look now to...

Will Europe lead the way towards 'zero deforestation'?

Blog entry by Sébastien Risso | 2 December, 2015 2 comments

From the time we're in school, we are taught that forests absorb and store carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases (GHG) responsible for climate change, and that they produce and release oxygen. Yet despite the essential role...

Forest Reference Emission Level (FREL) report

Publication | 2 December, 2015 at 12:00

In September 2015, the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) announced the publication of a new Forest Reference Emission Level (FREL) report. This is the country’s official report to the UNFCCC, establishing baseline...

Meet the Indonesians taking climate action into their own hands

Blog entry by Yuyun Indradi | 2 December, 2015 5 comments

Just over a year ago, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo of Indonesia - one of the biggest emitters along with the US, China and India - visited a local community affected by the forest fires and vowed to tackle the devastating crisis.

10 shocking facts show how companies are still trashing Indonesia’s forests

Blog entry by Danielle Boobyer | 23 November, 2015 1 comment

For months, forest fires raged across Indonesia bringing the world's attention to the country's devastating forest destruction. Both people and orang-utans were endangered as the fires raged and a thick, choking haze swept across...

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