Mahfud MD Calls Indonesia's Deforestation 12.5 Million Hectares, Minister Of Environment And Forestry: The Data Is Wrong

Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK), Siti Nurbaya. (doc KLHK)

JAKARTA - Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK) Siti Nurbaya denied the data presented by vice presidential candidate number 3, Mahfud MD regarding forest deforestation that occurred in Indonesia. During the Fourth Debate of the Presidential Election, Mahfud said deforestation reached 12.5 million hectares.

Siti Nurbaya assessed that Mahfud was wrong in calculating the data, so that the data presented in the vice presidential debate was excessive.

"I have to say that the data is wrong. I can tell the real data. If it is used since 2013, there is a concept issue. And there is a problem how to read the data," said Siti Nurbaya when met by a number of journalists at the Media Center of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Senayan, South Jakarta (Jaksel), Monday 22 January

He explained that the deforestation rate for forests in Indonesia in 2013 was 730 thousand hectares. Then in 2015, the deforestation rate increased to 1.09 million hectares.

"So from 0.73 million hectares it rose to 1.09 million hectares due to the El Nino disaster in 2015. Then in 2016 it fell to 630 thousand hectares, continued in 2017 to 480 thousand hectares, 2018 to 440 thousand hectares," he said.

"In 2019, Indonesia experienced El Nino again, but not as bad as in 2015. Where, the deforestation rate is 460 thousand. Now in 2022, we are only deforestation 104 thousand hectares," he said.

This NasDem Party politician also questioned the data submitted by Mahfud up to 12.5 million hectares of land experiencing deforestation. Even though the data submitted above does not show this, and it is not concrete to just add up.

"So the affirmation was just imagine 700 thousand hectares. This can't be cumulative data with the next year's data. For example, this year there are 600 thousand hectares of land experiencing deforestation, next year it will be 900 thousand. It can't be added like that, 600 thousand additional 900 thousand hectares. No, the place is still the same. This means that the deforestation rate will increase by only 300 thousand hectares, "he said.

In fact, Siti explained that the decline in deforestation rates in Indonesia received appreciation in a number of international institutions, including the Prime Minister of Norway during the COP28 event.

"And we, Indonesia, are not playing games if we deforestation. The decline reached 65 percent from last year to the previous year, or 2022," he said.

He explained that his party continues to control deforestation figures in Indonesia by urging companies or every project in one activity to carry out the concept of zero deforestation.

"Because we are still building roads. We are still providing housing and that cannot be said to be deforestation. Because there is a re-anauguration, deforestation is there and so on. So my estimate is that in the future the figure will be even better than the current one," said Siti Nurbaya.

Previously, vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD criticized the massive destruction of forests or deforestation in Indonesia in the 10 years of President Jokowi's administration.

Mahfud, who also serves as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, said that the deforestation rate in Indonesia had reached 12.5 million hectares.

"I also recorded an illegal mine of 2,500 (mining Business Permits / IUP), but there is also more than that. In the last 10 years there has been forest deforestation of 12.5 (million) hectares of our forest," said Mahfud during the Vice Presidential Debat in the series of the Fourth Debate of the 2024 Presidential Election at JCC Senayan, Jakarta, Sunday, January 21.

He also made an analogy that the area of 12.5 million hectares of forest deforestation is equivalent to 23 times the area of Madura Island, even greater than the area of South Korea.

"It is much wider than South Korea and 23 times the area of Madura Island where I live. This is 10 years deforestation," he said.