Indonesia Targets 2.3m Hectares of Protected Forests for Food & Biofuel Crop Production

February 06, 2025

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by Hans Nicholas Jong (Mongabay) Indonesia has identified 2.3 million hectares (5.7 million acres) of protected forest that could be converted into “food and energy estates,” which could result in the country’s largest-ever deforestation project. This is part of a plan to convert a total of 20 million hectares (50 million acres) of forest for food and biofuel crop production. Some lawmakers and NGOs have voiced opposition, urging the government to reconsider; the forestry minister has defended the plan, saying the forests are already degraded and this is an effort to rehabilitate them.

The Indonesian government is targeting protected forest areas as part of its plan to convert 20 million hectares (50 million acres) of forest into “food and energy estates,” a move that could result in the largest deforestation project in the country’s history.

The inclusion of protected forests in this initiative has sparked concerns over biodiversity loss and environmental degradation.

Out of Indonesia’s 27 million hectares (66.7 million acres) of protected forests, the Ministry of Forestry has identified 2.3 million hectares (5.7 million acres), an area 30 times the size of New York City, that could be converted for food and biofuel crop production, according to an official document analyzing the plan.

These protected areas are part of a broader 20.6 million hectares (50.1 million acres) of forestland the government deems suitable for food and energy estates.

Protected forests in Indonesia are designated to preserve biodiversity, maintain ecological functions and safeguard watersheds, which is why activities such as large-scale agriculture and mining are typically restricted within them.

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Official data from 2020 show that 81.7% of protected forests remained intact, making them the category of forest with the highest tree cover in the country.

Lawmakers have also voiced their opposition, with Hanan Rozak of the Golkar Party urging the government to maintain the protection status of these forests and refrain from using them for agriculture.

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Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has defended the plan, framing it as an effort to rehabilitate degraded protected forests. He stated that the targeted areas are not pristine rainforests but rather denuded lands that have lost their tree cover due to industrial logging, encroachment and forest fires. The 2.3 million hectares of protected forests, he argued, are already degraded and would be reforested through agroforestry.

Government data estimate that around 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) of land within protected forests are degraded. Raja insisted that since these lands lacked intact forest cover, their conversion would not result in deforestation.

The government also said that implementing agroforestry, in which food crops are interspersed among trees, would minimize deforestation risks.

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Medrilzam, acting director of forestry at the national development planning agency (Bappenas), argued that leaving degraded forests untouched could lead to further encroachment, fires and illegal mining.

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“We will continue to trim down the figure and verify the forest areas to determine their suitability [for food and energy crops],” Medrilzam said.

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Despite these assurances, critics remain skeptical. Lawmakers have questioned whether food crops such as rice can be successfully cultivated in protected forests, even if the land is degraded. Many of these forests are located in regions with steep slopes, sensitive soils and high rainfall, making them unsuitable for agriculture.

While it is technically possible to plant upland rice on steep land, the primary function of protected forests is to regulate water cycles, prevent erosion, absorb carbon and serve as habitats for diverse flora and fauna, according to Timer Manurung, director of Indonesian environmental NGO Auriga Nusantara.

He said that true rehabilitation should focus on restoring native tree cover rather than planting food crops that require extensive sunlight and open land.

Agroforestry can be an option, but only if trees remain the dominant cover and tree species that provide food, such as fruit trees, are prioritized rather than short-term crops like rice and corn, which require clear-cut land, Timer said.

“How can rice grow [in dense forests]? They need sunlight, right? So the idea of planting rice on forested lands don’t make sense,” he told Mongabay.

Moreover, a 2020 government regulation on forest rehabilitation stipulates that restoration efforts should prioritize native tree species, maintain continuous forest cover and prohibit land conversion for non-forest use, including agriculture.

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The government has yet to disclose the exact locations of the 20.6 million hectares slated for food and energy estates, making it difficult to verify claims that these areas are degraded, Timer pointed out.

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Skepticism is further fueled by Indonesia’s past failures in large-scale food estate projects.

Public access to these data is crucial to ensure that genuinely intact forests are not mistakenly included, he said.

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The decision to allocate protected forests for agriculture follows recent policy changes that have weakened environmental safeguards.

The omnibus law on job creation, passed in 2020, removed several restrictions on forest use for commercial purposes.

A separate forestry ministry regulation issued that same year allows large-scale food estate development in protected forests without requiring them to be rezoned.

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Instead of top-down planning that favors agribusiness, they argue for policies that prioritize smallholder farmers and Indigenous communities, who have historically contributed more to food security than large-scale industrial plantations.

Ensuring local participation, restoring degraded lands with native tree species and protecting remaining intact forests should be the priority, said Ahmad Martin Hadiwinata, national coordinator of FIAN Indonesia. READ MORE