Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – Indonesian environmental groups warn that the deadly flash floods and landslides that struck Aceh in late November 2025 are not isolated disasters, but part of a growing pattern of environmental crises linked to widespread forest destruction across Sumatra, including in some of the country's most critical protected ecosystems.
Just one day before the floods hit Beutong Ateuh on November 26, the advocacy organization Apel Green Aceh discovered around 30 cubic meters of illegally felled logs in Babah Suak Village.
The site lies in a key wildlife corridor that connects the Leuser Ecosystem and Ulu Masen, two of Aceh's most important conservation areas. "This is the second discovery this year," said Syukur Tadu, Director of Apel Green Aceh.
The first case was detected in May in Blang Puuk Village, Nagan Raya Regency. Data from Aceh Natural Forest and Environment (HAkA) shows that Nagan Raya lost 5,127 hectares of forest between 2018 and 2024, with 2024 recording the largest annual loss at 1,052 hectares.
Years of damage catch up
Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) argues the floods are the result of long-term deforestation that has weakened natural buffers and drainage systems.
"The government continues to blame the past instead of fixing what is happening today," said FWI Executive Director Mufti Barri on December 4, 2025
"Deforestation is not a political term. Stopping it requires real action on the ground, not endless debate about definitions."
FWI estimates Aceh's forests have shrunk by 177,000 hectares in the past seven years, including 16,000 hectares cleared in 2024 alone.
Extractive industries under scrutiny
The Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) reports that mining and industrial plantations are accelerating forest loss in Aceh. Satellite imagery from Global Forest Watch indicates the province lost around 860,000 hectares of tree cover between 2021 and 2024.
JATAM also identified four forestry concessions that together span more than 207,000 hectares. Mining operations are widespread as well. Data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources shows 31 active mining permits with a combined concession area of 156,741 hectares.
Illegal gold mining continues to expand, even within crucial protected zones. JATAM estimates that 3,500 hectares of land are being mined unlawfully, and more than 2,300 hectares of that activity is taking place inside the Leuser Ecosystem.
Walhi, one of Indonesia's leading environmental organizations, estimates that total deforestation across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra reached 1.4 million hectares between 2016 and 2024.
Calls for policy overhaul
Walhi Forest and Plantation Campaign Manager Uli Arta Siagian urged the central government to review all resource extraction permits in Sumatra, especially in upstream watersheds, peatlands, and high-biodiversity forests.
She called for the revocation of problematic licenses, prosecution of offenders, and a revision of spatial planning policies to establish permanent protected ecosystem boundaries.
"Disasters like these are not simply natural events," she said. "They are warnings about an environment pushed beyond its capacity."
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2071450/why-deforestation-is-turning-acehs-floods-into-deadly-disaster