Indonesia sees decline in deforestation

Indonesia, home to a third of the world’s rainforests, has seen its annual deforestation drop by 8.4 per cent, its environment ministry said on Monday, attributing the fall to better control of fires and stricter permits for tree clearance.

Report informs via The Strait Times that, according to its latest available data, Indonesia recorded 104,000ha of deforested area from July 2021 to June 2022, down from 113,500ha in the year prior to that, according to government figures, which did not include numbers for the current year.

"One of the most significant measures is limiting new (clearance) permits on primary forest and peatland," environment ministry official Belinda Margono told reporters.