Indonesia Debates Forests After Floods Kill 1,167 People

When tropical storms hit Sumatra in November 2025, decades of deforestation turned rainfall into a weapon. More than 1,167 people lost their lives as mudslides carried century-old logs through villages, destroying homes, bridges, and lives.

The tragedy exposed what environmental experts had warned about for years. Sumatra lost 1.4 million hectares of forest in just one decade, weakening the land's natural defenses against extreme weather.

But something unexpected happened in the aftermath. For the first time in decades, Indonesia's entire nation started talking about deforestation.

Aida Greenbury, a forestry expert who has worked in Indonesia's forest sector for years, says she's never seen anything like it. Students, parents, academics, and politicians are now discussing forest protection openly on traditional media, online platforms, and social media.

Even high-ranking officials are speaking out. Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin publicly stated that protected forests weren't being properly managed and must be preserved. President Prabowo Subianto echoed this message in his New Year's address, calling for Indonesians to "respect, preserve, and nurture nature."

The government responded by investigating more than a dozen companies suspected of contributing to the disasters through illegal forest clearing in watershed areas. Trucks that continued hauling timber while communities remained buried in mud sparked particular outrage.

The Bright Side

The conversation represents a turning point. Deforestation advocacy has often felt isolating in Indonesia, dismissed as irrelevant to everyday concerns. Now the issue sits at the center of national debate.

Wildlife populations offer another glimmer of hope. Despite the devastation, some endangered species including Sumatran elephants and Tapanuli orangutans survived, showing the forests' resilience when given a chance to recover.

The tragedy has created what Greenbury calls "a narrow window" for real change. Public anger and political attention have finally converged, creating pressure that didn't exist before the storms.

Indonesia still has forests worth protecting, and for the first time in generations, the political will to do so might actually exist. Whether that window stays open long enough to make lasting change remains to be seen, but the conversation itself marks progress.

From disaster, Indonesia has found its voice on deforestation.