The island of New Guinea is home to one of the largest and most biodiverse forest systems remaining on earth. These forests, which include over half of the intact forest in the Indo-Pacific region, provide many benefits for people, including nature-based solutions for the climate and nature crises. The Provincial Government of West Papua in Indonesian New Guinea (Tanah Papua) in 2018 declared West Papua to be a Conservation Province and committed to protecting 70% of its forests, setting a blueprint for conservation and sustainable development across the region.
Yet the forests are under threat from industrial-scale infrastructure development (including roads like the Trans-Papua Highway), commercial timber extraction, and permanent conversion for agricultural commodities like pulpwood and palm oil. This piece uses research and data from the Nusantara Atlas to show deforestation over the last 20 years and predict future risks to remaining forests, especially risks posed by roads. A “business-as-usual” scenario would result in a sixfold increase in forest loss over the next 15 years. While roads can provide access to sustainable development, they must be planned in coordination with sustainability goals to increase the wellbeing of the forests and the people of Tanah Papua.
