Compiled by By Happy Tarumadevyanto | Independent Consultant | Environmental Asia | happy.devyanto@environmental.asia
How much deforestation in Indonesia has already been caused by mining? More than half of all tropical deforestation directly attributable to industrial mining takes place in Indonesia, according to new research conducted at Clark University and Vienna University of Economics and Business.
In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the team behind the study looked at the effects of large-scale mining in the tropical forests of 26 countries and found that Indonesia accounted for 58.2% of the deforestation caused by mineral extraction operations.
According to the scientists behind the study, industrial mining also had widespread indirect impacts on deforestation. More than two-thirds of the countries studied had, within 50 kilometres of the areas designated for mines, higher rates of deforestation that were not connected to other factors.
The TreeMap‘s analysis reveals that since 2000, mining has cleared an estimated total of 721,000 hectares, including the loss of 150,000 hectares of primary forest* by December 2023.
Deforestation Attributed to The Expansion of Palm Oil
This is considerably less than the deforestation attributed to the expansion of palm oil and wood pulp plantations, which have converted 3 million hectares and 1 million hectares of primary forest respectively. Nonetheless, the data shows that deforestation associated with mines has been increasing, occurring in previously untouched areas in remote islands of eastern Indonesia.
Mining more attractive ?
As Indonesia continues to mine its rich resources, this comprehensive mapping effort underscores the urgent need for sustainable mining practices that protect its natural heritage while supporting economic development. By providing clear data and ongoing analysis, we hope to contribute to more informed decisions that guide the future of Indonesia’s mining industry towards a more sustainable and less environmentally detrimental path.
Mapping mining from space
To monitor Indonesia’s mining sector, we developed a “mining” map using high-resolution satellite imagery from Sentinel-2 and Planet/NICFI and two decades of historical Landsat images.
In this GIF generated from The Nusantara Atlas is of a forest converted to artisanal gold and sand mining along river banks in Central Kalimantan. Click below to see the location on the interactive map.
https://lnkd.in/gcBRPX6e
