World's largest deforestation: Indonesia to clear forests size of Belgium

Indonesia plans to clear forest land roughly the size of Belgium.

Forest land of about 30,689 square km will be cleared to grow sugarcane for bioethanol, along with rice and food crops, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Citing environment watchdogs, the Associated Press report mentioned this as the largest planned deforestation in the world.

“Imagine every piece of vegetation in that area being completely cleared ... having all the trees and the wildlife erased from the landscape and replaced with a monoculture. It’s creating a zone of death in one of the most vibrant spots on Earth,” said Glenn Horowitz, chief executive of US non-governmental organisation Mighty Earth, highlighting the severe impact this project could have on biodiversity.

Largest planned deforestation The proposed deforestation is also significant as Indonesia has the world’s third largest rainforest.

From wildlife to some rare plants, the country is home to several endangered species including orangutans, elephants and giant forest flowers.

Economic gains over biodiversity?

For over a decade, Indonesia has been bundling the food estates.

A vision outlined by the former President Joko Widodo, the country aims at improving its food security with massive plantations.

However, acting along the same lines, the current President, Prabowo Subianto, has expanded such projects.

These projects are focused on crops to produce bioethanol, a renewable fuel made from plants like sugarcane or corn.

Deforestation risks and replanting plans Cutting down forests causes soil erosion, harms areas with lots of plant and animal life, puts animals and people who depend on the forest in danger, and makes extreme weather events worse.

Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Subianto’s brother and the government’s representative for energy and the environment, said the government plans to plant trees again on 6.5 million hectares (16 million acres) of damaged and cleared land.

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