InfoSAWIT, SURAKARTA – Indonesia’s landscape still appears green at a glance. However, behind this greenery lies a fundamental transformation in the structure and function of forest ecosystems—from natural tropical rainforests to industrial plantation forests and oil palm plantations. This shift raises a crucial question: does the visible greenery truly reflect environmental sustainability?

A lecturer at the Faculty of Geography, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), Aziz Akbar Mukasyaf, Ph.D., said that ecologically, Indonesia should be dominated by tropical rainforest ecosystems. Yet, field realities show major changes in vegetation structure and ecosystem functions.

He explained that Indonesia lies along the equator and naturally hosts tropical rainforests stretching from Sumatra to Papua. However, on Java Island, natural tropical forests have long been reduced since the colonial era and replaced by plantation forests such as teak. Today, natural forests are largely found in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua, although land-use conversion pressures continue.

Aziz estimates that Indonesia’s natural forest area has shrunk by more than 50%. He stressed that claims of declining deforestation rates do not necessarily indicate the recovery of forest ecological functions. In many cases, former natural forests have instead been converted into commercial forests, industrial plantation forests, or oil palm plantations.

“Administratively, the land cover may still be recorded as vegetated. However, ecologically, there has been a very significant decline in function,” he said, as quoted by InfoSAWIT from UMS, Monday (9/2/2026).

Different Meanings of Reforestation

According to Aziz, a fundamental issue lies in differing definitions of reforestation. In global and ecological science perspectives, reforestation refers to efforts to restore forests closer to their natural condition, in terms of vegetation structure, species composition, and ecosystem functions.

True reforestation emphasizes the use of native species and encourages natural succession processes, allowing forests to function again as carbon sinks, water regulators, and biodiversity habitats.

By contrast, in Indonesia, reforestation is often understood merely as replanting barren land without considering the suitability of plant species to the local ecosystem. In practice, planting frequently involves high-economic-value crops such as oil palm or other industrial plants that are not native to the area.

“From an ecological science perspective, planting commercial crops on former natural forests cannot be called reforestation. It is a land-use change from a natural ecosystem to a production system,” he asserted.

Palm Oil Is Not a Tree

Aziz also addressed the perception that equates oil palm plantations with greening efforts. He emphasized that biologically, oil palm is different from trees.

“Oil palm is not a tree anatomically. It is a monocot, without cambium, with fibrous roots that remain near the surface. Trees, on the other hand, have deeper root systems and a greater capacity to store water,” he explained.

Equating oil palm with trees, he warned, could mislead policy decisions. If oil palm plantations are treated as forests, the conversion of natural forests could still be recorded as forested areas, even though a fundamental ecological function change has occurred.

He further explained that natural forests are heterogeneous, with diverse species, while oil palm plantations are homogeneous. Heterogeneous forests are more resilient to pests, diseases, and climate change, whereas homogeneous ecosystems are far more vulnerable.

“In a homogeneous system, when one component is disturbed, the impact can spread rapidly. This is very different from natural forests, which have built-in buffering mechanisms,” he said.

Call for Forestry Policy Evaluation

Aziz emphasized that Indonesia’s forest management must view forests not merely as economic commodities, but as life-support systems. Forests provide oxygen, store carbon, regulate water systems, protect soil, and serve as habitats for biodiversity and local communities.

He urged an evaluation of forestry policies so that they focus not only on land cover figures, but also on ecosystem quality and the sustainability of ecological functions. According to him, sustainable development requires honesty in defining forests and the courage to place ecological interests on par with economic interests.

“The key question is not only how much land is green, but what kind of green it is and for what function. If what is expanding is oil palm while natural forests continue to shrink, then Indonesia’s environmental sustainability must be questioned,” he concluded. (T2)