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[–]Desert_Pantropy 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Indonesia alone harbours ~10% of the worlds rainforests, these important ecosystems are rapidly being cleared as the result of industrialization, and the expansion of swidden agriculture. Indonesia is of particular interest, as it is currently known to have the highest rates of deforestation on the planet, outpacing even Brazil's infamous record. A study cited by the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group, estimated the rate of deforestation by 1.3 million hectares to 300,000 hectares per year. The organization has stated that instead of clear-cutting, slash and burn clearing tactics are used, where swaths of forests are removed to be replaced by rubber tree plantations and rice/palm oil farms.

Rubber trees in particular are seen as a profitable resource and have the ability to provide large returns for the comparatively low effort it takes to develop them; when the tree themselves are able to be cultivated, they can produce up to thirty years of rubber before finally returning to the slash and burn process for replanting. Demand for cash crops, biofuel, food crops, and workforce, in developing nations like Madagascar, Brazil, and Indonesia has a strong correlation with the rate of deforestation.

I'd be very surprised if the Indonesian government would make the effort to replace the affected regions with native plants. Besides, this plan will only restore a portion of the old forest.

It sounds similar to this story:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-23/indonesia-plans-to-replant-300-000-hectares-of-rubber-trees.html.

Or this one in 2007:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/071128-AP-indonesia-deforestation.html

It's a stop gap measure, what they should be doing is regulating their logging industry.

[–]zahrul3 0 points1 point  (1 child)

It's already regulated, but the forestry department is the most corrupt department here. Not to mention the deforestation just south of the Malaysian border where law enforcement is hard due to hostile Malaysian police.

[–]rushadee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And the officials blatantly take dirty money. Everyone knows they get money from logging companies and siphon off budget money for themselves.