Indonesia sustainability monitor · English summaries of English and Bahasa reporting
Storyline · 4 stories
Deforestation, palm oil, peat fires and the state's forest-area crackdown.
Water sources in Kalimantan are drying up under a super El Niño, and haze has drifted over 1,000 km to Cebu in the Philippines. Seventy-two people were arrested in August on suspicion of starting fires.
About 200,000 ha burned between January and July. Haze has caused tens of thousands of respiratory infections, pushed schools online in Malaysia and reached Manila. The minister says most fires were set deliberately.
Why it matters: Fire liability is now an enforcement story: police have named 89 suspects and six permit holders face severe sanctions.
Auriga Nusantara estimates over 430,000 ha were cleared last year, the highest in nearly a decade. Papua saw a sharp rise, and nearly half the loss happened inside licensed concessions.
The attorney general said the military-backed task force could collect these fines in 2026. Seized plantations go to state firm Agrinas, now the world's largest palm oil company by area at 1.7 million ha.
Background reading
| Report | Organisation | Year | Storyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and biofuel self-sufficiency vs forests Breaks down H1 2025 deforestation by province, commodity and concession holder. | EIA | 2025 | Forests |