Deforestation in Indonesia spiked last year, but resources analyst sees better overall trend

By VICTORIA MILKO
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A data analysis shows Indonesia had a 27% increase in primary forest loss in 2023. The losses were in protected national parks and in massive swaths of jungle cut down for palm oil and paper plantations and for mining. Despite that increase, the World Resources Institute said the analysis was generally good when compared to peak deforestation rates of several years ago. But others saw some cause for concern and tied some of the more recent deforestation to nickel mining. Indonesia has vast deposits of the metal that is crucial for the world’s green energy transition.