JAKARTA — Excavators have begun clearing land in the Indonesian region of Papua in what’s been described as the largest deforestation undertaking in the world. A total of 2 million hectares (5 million acres) of forests, wetlands and grasslands in Merauke district will be razed to make way for a cluster of giant sugarcane plantations, […]

  • A total of 2 million hectares (5 million acres) of forests, wetlands and grasslands will be razed to make way for a cluster of giant sugarcane plantations.

  • And much of the sugar produced from the Merauke project won’t even be used for food. The government plans to develop sugarcane-derived bioethanol as part of its transition away from fossil fuels.

  • Satellite imagery analysis shows that 30% of the concessions appear to fall inside a zone that the government previously declared should be protected under a moratorium program.

  • A similar megaproject in Merauke, the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE), initiated by Jokowi’s predecessor turned out to be a failure, used as cover to establish oil palm and pulpwood plantations instead.