Japan’s Wood Pellet Imports Drive Deforestation in Indonesia
Record Japanese wood pellet imports and subsidies are helping expand biomass concessions that could clear more than 750,000 hectares of forest, researchers said.
- Japan's wood pellet imports from Indonesia surged over 500%, rising from 66,460 tons in 2023 to 402,310 tons in 2025, driving a new wave of deforestation across Indonesia's tropical forests.
- Seeking renewable energy, Japan imported a record 8.64 million tons of wood pellets in 2025, a 35% increase from 2024, while Indonesia granted at least 45 biomass concession permits covering over 750,000 hectares.
- Timer Manurung, director of Indonesia-based organization Auriga Nusantara, warned biomass production threatens the isolated Polahi community and critical habitats for vulnerable species like tarsiers and endemic buffalo.
- While Japan stopped new large-scale biomass subsidies, existing certified projects receive support for up to 20 years; Sayoko Iinuma, a forestry specialist and researcher at the Global Environmental Forum, warned loopholes allow deforestation-linked pellets into the market.
- Worldwide bioenergy use increased over 55% between 2015 and 2024, according to the International Energy Agency, as environmentalists warn rising international demand and weak domestic regulation will continue accelerating deforestation in Indonesia.
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18 Articles
Japan’s biomass energy boom threatens further deforestation in Indonesia
ISLAMABAD (AP) - A surge in Indonesia's wood pellet and chip production is driving a new wave of deforestation, threatening the vast archipelago's remaining tropical forests, vital biodiversity hot spots and the land of Indigenous peoples, according to new satellite analysis from environmental nongovernmental organizations. [...]
The Toronto Star
Japan’s biomass energy boom threatens further deforestation in Indonesia
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A surge in Indonesia’s wood pellet and chip production is driving a new wave of deforestation, threatening the vast archipelago’s remaining tropical forests, vital biodiversity hot spots and the land of Indigenous peoples, according to new satellite…
Japan's biomass energy boom threatens further deforestation in In
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A surge in Indonesia’s wood pellet and chip production is driving a new wave of deforestation, threatening the vast archipelago’s remaining tropical forests, vital biodiversity hot spots and the land of Indigenous peoples, according
Japan’s Biomass Boom Fuels Fears of New Deforestation in Indonesia
NewsFinale NewsFinale Journal ISLAMABAD – Indonesia’s expanding wood pellet and wood chip industry is fueling fresh concerns over deforestation, with environmental groups warning that the country’s remaining tropical forests, biodiversity-rich habitats and Indigenous territories are increasingly at risk. The findings come from a new satellite-based analysis conducted by environmental nongovernmental organizations. Biomass energy — largely produc…
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