Deforestation in Indonesia and its impacts on health

1. Deforestation and its impact on
health: An Indonesian case study
Annisa Rahmalia
Module 217: Global Environmental Changes and Health
Homework Assignment
December 2010

2. Indonesia
Source: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/idnewz.gif
• More than 17,000 islands, size 1.9 million square
km1
• 48% of its land area are forests2

3. Deforestation in Indonesia
Source: http://e360.yale.edu/images/digest/deforestation-wwf-large.jpg
Annual deforestation rate: -2.0%2
Main reasons for land clearing: timber industry, palm oil plantation,
mining industry, agricultural expansion

4. lead to malnutrition and related ailments. Deforestation may lead to local establishment of transmission. When
may alter disease patterns as well as local and regional these events combine with human activities related to
climates, potentially affecting disease vector distributions globalization (such as international trade and travel)
MA Conceptual Framework3
over time. Processes stemming from disruption of global pandemics can arise, as illustrated already by the
ecosystems may lead to the emergence or resurgence of development and spread of HIV/AIDS and, potentially,
disease, while local factors such as poverty, poor by the appearance in human populations of other new
prevention and treatment and heightened susceptibility infectious disease strains, e.g. avian influenza.
Figure 1.1 MA: conceptual framework
Drivers that indirectly
affect ecosystems
influences drivers that
directly affect
ecosystems.
Changes can cross
scales: Global timber
market >>> regional
deforestation >>>
local proneness to
natural disasters
Changes in drivers that indirectly affect ecosystems, such as population, technology and lifestyle (upper right corner of Figure 1.1 ) can lead to
changes in drivers that directly affect ecosystems, such as fisheries' catches or fertilizer applications to increase food production (lower right corner).
The resulting changes in the ecosystem (lower left corner) cause ecosystem services to change and thereby affect human well-being. These
interactions can take place at more than one scale and can cross scales. For example, a global timber market may lead to regional loss of forest cover

5. Health-related impacts of
deforestation*
Loss of plants with potential
Loss of biodiversity4 pharmacological benefits
Emerging infectious disease
Ecosystem degradation ex. Nipah/Hendra virus
Local and regional respiratory
Air pollution diseases
Deforestation Change in dynamics of infectious Ex. Malaria, Leishmaniasis,
disease transmission Chagas disease
Physical and psychosocial injuries,
Natural disasters
communicable diseases related to
(landslide, floods) displacement, etc.
Disruption of cultural and spiritual Mental health
problems
connection with the forest
*Not limited to those observed in Indonesian setting

6. Illustrations
• Hendra virus in Australia (horse/human) and Nipah virus
in Malaysia (pig/human) are viruses of the same origin,
philogenetically an ‘old virus,’ with flying foxes (pteropid
bats) as common reservoir. Dissemination of both diseases
to domesticated animals/human population are linked to
bats’ habitat loss due to deforestation.5
• During and after the 1997 Indonesia forest fires, a
significant increase in respiratory diseases (particularly
acute respiratory illness, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, and asthma) observed in nearby provinces of
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore compared to the time
period before the forest fires (1995-1996). 6,7,8
• So far there are no studies on mental health status of
forest communities, but sociological studies have shown
that the forest has cultural and spiritual importance for
them, such as the indigenous Dayak ethnic group of
Tonyooi in Indonesian Borneo. 9,10

7. Most vulnerable groups
In Indonesia, the adverse health
impact of deforestation is more
likely to hit the poorer
community in rural areas
because they:
• Live in the ecosystem
degraded environments
prone to infectious diseases
and disasters
23.6 million rural Indonesians are
living below the national poverty line
• Lack of resources to (20% of rural population; 11% of total
prevention/treatment - there population). Thirty percent of
is no universal health population above the line are at risk of
coverage sliding into poverty. 11

8. Strategy for actions and
challenges
• Indonesia is the 3rd largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, and the
government have committed to take a step through reducing deforestation. 12
• REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) are investment
programs aimed at reducing deforestation while encouraging sustainable
development.
• In Indonesia, it has started in several provinces in Sumatra and Borneo
(Kalimantan) in collaboration with the global financial firm Merrill Lynch (Bank
of America), an Australian investment outfit, and the government of Norway.
• Transparency is the key of success of REDD (as any program), and it is a big
challenge in Indonesian highly corrupt government, with a long history of graft
in forestry sector. 13
• At the public health side, not much has been done by the government. Many
Indonesians still do not have health insurance. Various non-governmental
organizations are providing services for forest communities and displaced
people due to natural disasters, but it is rather sporadic.

9. Concluding remarks
• Deforestation in Indonesia has significant health
impact - immediate as well as remote - within the
country and surrounding region
• Reducing deforestation will be beneficial for the
ecosystems at the local as well as global level
• Efforts to reduce deforestation should be conducted
simultaneously with reducing vulnerability of certain
populations and improving ‘good governance’

10. References
1. Central Intelligence Agency (2010). CIA - The World 9. Colfer, CJP et al (2006). “Forest and human health in
Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/ the tropics: some important connections.” Unasylva
the-world-factbook/geos/id.html [Accessed 224(57): 3-10.
December 26th, 2010]
10.Nanang M (2003). “Forest values and livelihood
2. Butler, RA (2006). “Indonesia: Environmental uncertainty in two indigenous communities of
Profile.” Mongabay.com / A Place Out of Time: Indonesian Borneo.” In M. Inoue and H. Isozaki
Tropical Rainforests and the Perils They Face. (eds.), People and Forest--Policy and Local Reality in
Southeast Asia, the Russian Far East and Japan,
3. Millenium Ecosystem Assessment Team (2005). 215-229. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
“Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Health
Synthesis”. World Health Organization. 11.International Fund for Agricultural Development
(2010). “Rural Poverty in Indonesia.” http://
4. Herndon, CN and Butler, RA (2010). “Significance of www.ruralpovertyportal.org/web/guest/country/
Biodiversity to Health.” Biotropica 42(5): 558-560 home/tags/indonesia [Accessed December 26th,
2010]
5. Field H et al (2001). “The natural history of Hendra
and Nipah viruses.” Microbe and Infection 3(4): 12.Butler, RA (2010). “Indonesia is the 3rd largest GHG
307-314. emitter but reducing deforestation offers big
opportunity, says government.” http://
6. Aditama, TY (2000). “Impact of haze from forest fire news.mongabay.com/2010/0927-
to respiratory health: Indonesian experience.” indonesia_abatement.html [Accessed December
Respirology 5(2): 169-174. 26th, 2010]
7. Mott, JA et al (2005). “Cardiorespiratory 13.Butler, RA (2010). “Indonesia’s Corruption Legacy
hospitalizations associated with smoke exposure Clouds a Forest Protection Plan.” Yale Environment
during the 1997 Southeast Asian forest fires.” 360 http://e360.yale.edu/feature/
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental indonesias_corruption_legacy_clouds_a_forest_prote
Health, 208(1-2): 75-85. ction_plan/2353/ [Accessed December 27th, 2010]
8. Emmanuel SC (2000). “Impact to lung health of haze
from forest fires: The Singapore experience.”
Respirology 5(2): 175-182.