Is it true that deforestation has exacerbated disasters in Sumatra?

Tropical Cyclone Senyar Disaster: Warning of Weak Mitigation and the Effects of Environmental Degradation in Sumatra

Indonesia is fundamentally not a country that is vulnerable to the threat of tropical cyclones. However, the situation has changed in line with the increasing trend of tropical cyclone formation. The disasters that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra serve as a warning to enhance mitigation efforts against the threat of tropical cyclones in the future.

In addition to strengthening disaster mitigation, preparedness for facing tropical cyclones must also be carried out by minimizing other disaster risk factors, one of which is maintaining green spaces and reducing deforestation. Moreover, the environmental carrying capacity in the regions of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra is already in a critical condition due to deforestation, illegal logging, and massive land conversion.

The phenomenon of declining environmental support has impacted the occurrence of flash floods and landslides in several affected areas. For instance, in March 2024, floods and landslides struck 12 regions in West Sumatra due to heavy rainfall and environmental degradation.

The decline in environmental carrying capacity further increases the risk factors for disasters in the northern region of Sumatra, which is classified as one of the most disaster-prone areas for hydrometeorological events. According to the 2024 Disaster Risk Index, the northern region of Sumatra, including several areas in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, ranks among the top ten areas most vulnerable to floods, landslides, and extreme waves.

The combination of these vulnerabilities further exacerbates the impacts that can arise from tropical cyclone disasters, similar to what is currently happening, namely the high rainfall caused by Cyclone Senyar leading to significant flooding and landslides in the three affected areas. In the flow of the floods and landslides, many large pieces of wood were swept away, indicating the extensive deforestation occurring in the region.

Disaster in North Sumatra: When Economy and Ecology Are No Longer in Tune

The presence of tropical cyclone Senyar has also escalated disasters and caused destruction in several areas in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. However, the environmental degradation occurring in these regions has further exacerbated the damage caused by Cyclone Senyar. In addition to the climate crisis, the ecological crisis has become a pressing issue following the disaster that struck parts of northern Sumatra.

One of the factors that is at the root of environmental degradation in the region is land conversion closely related to deforestation. According to Forestry Statistics, until last year, thousands of hectares of forest areas in the three provinces have experienced reduction. In terms of area, the largest occurred in Aceh, covering 5,300 hectares. Meanwhile, in North Sumatra, it spans 3,900 hectares, and in West Sumatra, it covers 4,800 hectares.

Compared to a decade ago, similar statistical records indicate a decrease in the annual deforestation rate. In 2013, the deforestation figures in the three regions were 7,300 hectares in Aceh, 10,200 hectares in North Sumatra, and 7,600 hectares in West Sumatra. These records indicate a decline in the rate of logging.

However, this deforestation must still be monitored as it represents a gradual and slow action of forest clearing for specific economic purposes. This is something that should not be continuously carried out. Referring to the same records, deforestation is actually occurring massively in protected forests and conservation forests.

In fact, in Aceh, the phenomenon is quite extreme, as the clearing of land in protected forests has actually increased. Additionally, the clearing of land in its conservation forests has also grown. A similar situation is occurring in North Sumatra and Aceh, where deforestation in conservation areas has also been recorded as increasingly massive compared to a decade ago. This phenomenon has become one of the causes of the increasing vulnerability of the region to disaster threats.

The Urgency of Curbing Deforestation and Restoring Sumatra's Forests

Deforestation, or the clearing of forest land for non-forest purposes, threatens the natural sustainability of Sumatra Island. Ministry of Forestry statistics for 2025 show that net deforestation in Sumatra's forests in 2024 reached 78,030.6 hectares. Net deforestation is the figure obtained by subtracting deforestation from reforestation, or efforts to restore forest land.

Throughout 2024, the total deforestation rate in Indonesia reached 175,437.7 hectares. Looking at this data, at least 44 percent of deforestation in Indonesia occurs in the forests of Sumatra. The forests in the provinces of Riau, Aceh, Jambi, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra are the areas with the highest deforestation rates in Sumatra. Deforestation in Riau in 2024 reached 29,702.1 hectares, followed by Aceh (11,208.5 hectares), Jambi (8,290.6 hectares), North Sumatra (7,034.9 hectares), and West Sumatra (6,634.2 hectares).

Not only is Riau's net deforestation the highest in Sumatra, it's also the highest in Indonesia. The deforestation rate in Riau exceeds that of East Kalimantan (19,206.8 hectares) and Central Kalimantan (16,054.3 hectares).

Deforestation in Sumatra has also shown an upward trend since 2020. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) indicates that the deforestation figures inside and outside the forest areas of Sumatra increased compared to the period of 2020-2021, which reached 41,668.8 hectares, and the period of 2021-2022 (39,899.9 hectares). This condition indicates an increase in deforestation in Sumatra by 36,361 hectares compared to four years ago.

The record of deforestation in the forests of Sumatra is also evident from the Wahana Lingkungan Hidup (Walhi) organization. Through its press release (2/12/2025), Walhi noted that deforestation in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra has reached 1.4 million hectares since 2016. The changes in the natural ecosystem landscape, including forests, are due to the activities of 631 companies holding mining permits, palm oil business rights, forest utilization business permits (PBPH), geothermal, and power generation companies.

Natural Disasters in Sumatra Signal Increasing Agrarian Conflict

Floods and landslides in Sumatra are closely linked to the agrarian conflicts that have been occurring in the region. The conflicts, triggered by land clearing by companies, have also contributed to the reduction of forest cover. Several civil society organizations are urging for the resolution of agrarian conflicts.

According to the Head of the Campaign and Knowledge Management Department of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), Benny Wijaya, land control by corporations in the plantation and mining sectors not only triggers agrarian conflicts but also diminishes the function of upstream areas as water absorbers. As a result, during extreme weather conditions, these areas can no longer retain water, leading to flooding and landslides.

KPA recorded at least 32 agrarian conflict eruptions throughout 2024 in North Sumatra. The majority occurred due to palm oil plantation operations, with 11 cases. The subsequent cases were related to land acquisition for infrastructure projects as well as forestry and mining plantation operations.

In West Sumatra, throughout 2024, there have been at least 12 outbreaks of agrarian conflict, with 10 of these conflicts arising from plantation company operations. According to the 2024 Year-End Report by KPA, over the past 10 years, there have been at least 3,234 outbreaks of agrarian conflict covering an area of 7.4 million hectares.

A total of 1.8 million families have been affected by the conflict. Half of the incidents of this conflict, or 1,733 cases, occurred due to plantation company operations (1,242 cases), mining concessions (253 cases), and Industrial Timber Plantations (238 cases).

The Executive Director of the Community Initiative Study and Development Group (KSPPM), Rocky Pasaribu, stated that his team has analyzed changes in forest cover in South Tapanuli and Central Tapanuli in North Sumatra during the period of 1990-2024. The results indicate a decline in natural forest cover.

In South Tapanuli, over the past three decades, the region has lost 46,640 hectares of natural forest. The largest loss occurred during the period from 1990 to 2000, amounting to 26,223 hectares, and continued from 2000 to 2010 with a loss of 10,672 hectares.

Environment Minister: Sumatra Disaster Not Solely Caused by Nature, Several Corporations Will Be Investigated

The Ministry of Environment will investigate several industries suspected of contributing to the occurrences of flooding and landslides in Sumatra. The significant reduction in forest cover due to extractive activities is considered to exacerbate the impacts of extreme rainfall in the region.

Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, during a working meeting with Commission XII of the DPR in Jakarta on Wednesday (3/12/2025), stated that legal actions and approaches will be taken against several parties contributing to environmental damage in the flooding and landslides in Sumatra. An evaluation of environmental permits in the Batang Toru area will also be conducted, particularly concerning the available environmental capacity.

Hanif explained that the reduction of forest cover in the Batang Toru watershed from 1990 to 2024 reached 19,000 hectares. During the same period, the reduction of forest cover in Aceh Province was approximately 14,000 hectares, while the reduction in West Sumatra Province amounted to 10,521 hectares.

He also stated that the occurrence of this disaster is not solely due to natural causes. Therefore, all parties responsible for the exacerbation of damage in this case must be held legally accountable.

Several efforts are planned to be undertaken in disaster management in Sumatra. These efforts include strengthening supervision and law enforcement in land use, aligning regional spatial planning with the carrying capacity of watersheds, controlling permits in critical priority areas, ecosystem rehabilitation, and integrating climate action mitigation into spatial planning.

Hanif stated that climate mitigation and adaptation measures are absolutely necessary, especially in areas that are indicated to have a high level of vulnerability. The risk of hydrometeorological disasters is increasing due to the impacts of climate change, which can be exacerbated by landscape degradation in several regions of Indonesia.