Jakarta: Indonesia will revoke more than 20 forestry permits across the country after severe flooding and landslides killed many people in several areas of the northwestern island of Sumatra. Indonesia’s Forestry Minister revealed yesterday that the government will revoke 22 forestry permits covering more than 6.25 million acres, with over 625,000 acres located on the island of Sumatra. He did not directly specify whether this decision was related to the recent natural disaster. Previously, in February, he revoked permits covering approximately 3,125,000 acres.
According to Thai News Agency, environmentalists and experts point out that deforestation plays a significant role in flash floods and landslides, which this month have killed more than 1,000 people and inundated villages with mudslides. Forests are crucial in absorbing rainwater and holding the soil in place with their roots. The lack of forests makes areas more vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.
Earlier this month, Indonesia’s Forestry Minister signaled that the disaster presented an opportunity to reassess policies, stating that the balance between the economy and the environment appeared to be too skewed towards the economy and needed to be brought back into equilibrium. Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest rates of deforestation in the world each year. Mining, monoculture farming, and wildfires have destroyed vast areas of the country’s rich tropical rainforests over the past several decades.
According to an analysis by The TreeMap, an Indonesian conservation startup, the Nusantara Atlas project will show that Indonesia lost more than 1,500,000 acres of primary rainforest in 2024.
Meanwhile, Moroccan authorities revealed yesterday that at least 37 people have died and 14 others were injured in flash floods caused by severe heavy rains in Safi province on the country’s Atlantic coast on Sunday. The floods inundated homes and shops in the old town of the port city of Safi, swept away numerous vehicles, and cut off many roads in and around the city. Safi is located about 300 kilometers south of Rabat, the Moroccan capital. Authorities ordered schools in the town closed yesterday as residents assessed the damage and cleaned up flooded homes. At least 70 homes and businesses are estimated to have been affected by the flooding.