The pandemic prevented major countries and corporations from achieving environmental goals last year as they diverted resources toward economic recovery. Global rainforest conservation took one of its largest hits in almost two decades, with primary forest loss increasing by 12% from 2019, according to satellite data from Global Forest Watch.
The loss of primary forest -- pristine forest areas untouched by human activity -- in the tropics reached 4.2 million hectares, equivalent to the size of the Netherlands.
Deforestation has major implications for climate change because trees, particularly in humid tropical forests, store around a third of global carbon emissions. These emissions are released back into the atmosphere to warm the planet when trees are burned or removed.
The loss of tropical forest last year resulted in carbon emissions equal to those of 570 million cars, more than twice the number of cars in the United States.
Yet, there are some encouraging signs of improvement. Indonesia and Malaysia offer hope as their primary forest loss continued to decline. Indonesian losses fell by 17% and those of Malaysia by 39% from 2019.
It was the fourth straight year of decreasing forest loss for both countries. Indonesia even dropped out of the top three countries for tropical primary forest loss for the first time since Global Forest Watch started tracking the data in 2002.
Indonesia remains fourth on the list, though, and Malaysia is ninth. Together they account for 85% of global palm oil production, which has historically been a significant contributor to deforestation.
There is still a lot to be done, but the continued downward trend of forest loss in both countries could offer some hope of a turning point.
The two countries achieved this through strict government policies, tougher laws and increasing jail terms to prevent illegal logging, land clearing and forest fires. Indonesia put in place a moratorium on clearing primary forests and a freeze on permits for new oil palm plantations.
Similarly, Malaysia set a five-year limit on oil palm plantations in 2019. Facing increasing pressure from local and indigenous communities to protect their natural ecosystems, the state governments of Sabah and Sarawak -- home to 68.4% of Malaysia's remaining forest cover -- have also committed to maintaining at least 50% and 57% of their territories under forest cover.
While there is progress, we need to stay vigilant to ensure our forests are protected in the long run. This requires a multi-stakeholder approach and continued signals to government bodies to pursue more environmentally and socially sustainable practices, especially in the face of limited resources during the recovery from the pandemic.
Corporations need to continue their path toward zero-deforestation commitments and adopting more sustainable standards throughout their supply chain. Today, environmentally certified palm oil accounts for only 19% of global production. More must be done to promote sustainable palm oil, including training smallholders in sustainable production practices.
Hopefully, soon we can see the declines in deforestation rates in Malaysia and Indonesia mirrored in the rest of Southeast Asia and the world.
Suwatchai Songwanich is an executive vice-president with Bangkok Bank. For more columns in this series, please visit www.bangkokbank.com
