Harry Pearl, Jakarta – Greenpeace has described a recent study that shows Indonesia has the highest rate of deforestation in the world as "an urgent wake up call" and has called on the country's next president to recognize "development does not mean destroying forests."

Yuyun Indradi, a forest campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, made the comments following a report published in science journal "Nature Climate Change" on Sunday, which said Indonesia had surpassed Brazil when it came to annual loss of tropical forests.

Of more concern, the article said deforestation was increasing despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono implementing a moratorium on logging in 2011 that aimed to protect wildlife and combat climate change.

"Forest destruction is driving Indonesia's greenhouse gas emissions, pushing animals like the Sumatran tiger to the edge of extinction, and creating the conditions for Southeast Asia's devastating forest fires and haze wave," Yuyun said.

The article in "Nature Climate Change" said that in 2012 Indonesia lost 840,000 hectares of forest compared to 460,000 hectares in Brazil. It also said Indonesia's primary forest loss was 6 million hectares between 2000 and 2012 and it increased on average by 47,600 hectares per year over the period.

Yuyun said it was clear that Indonesia's forest moratorium had not worked. "Law enforcement is weak and even the country's national parks are being logged – but now is a critical time for action," he said.

Indonesia's two presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto will discuss food, energy and environment in the final presidential debate on Sunday.

Yuyun said whoever was elected on July 9 had to recognize that "development does not mean destroying forests, but creating responsible land use practices." "This means strengthening the forest moratorium to protect all forests and all peatlands, and respecting the rights of local communities," he said.

Greenpeace also called on corporations working in Indonesia to play their part to halt deforestation. "Industrial plantation companies are trashing Indonesia's forests for commodities like palm oil and pulp paper which go into products on supermarkets around the world," Yuyun said. "The scale of the problem demands action from government and corporations."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/greenpeace-criticizes-sby-trashing-indonesias-rainforests/