New report: Indonesian claim of 90% reduction in deforestation is ‘exaggerated’

An in-depth review by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences refutes the Indonesian government’s claim that deforestation has declined by 90 per cent. It states that the number is a product of “cherry picking” data and that official statistics, which Norway uses to calculate forest aid to Indonesia, lacks transparency. One third of the reduction in the deforestation rate can simply be explained by the fact that there is less forest left to destroy, according to the report.