The pressure on forests in Southeast Asia and Oceania will continue if strict measures are not taken to regulate the operations of plantation companies and extractive industries in natural forest areas. Malaysia, According to the FAO, it is estimated that with continued conversion of forest, between 13% and 42% of the species will be lost in Southeast Asia by 2100.71 In a recent regional assessment of forest cover of Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea, the forest extent is estimated to 2.68 million km2 in 1990, and the forest loss between 1990 and 2010 to 320,000 km2 – approximately the size of Norway. The study confirms that the conversion of forest to cash crops plantations, such as oil palm, is the main cause of forest loss, with logging and the establishment of monoculture forest plantations as other major drivers of deforestation.

Year: 2015

From collection: State of the Rainforest

Cartographer: GRID-Arendal