Bridging the Information Gap

This briefing from the World Resources Institute proposes a systematic approach and a matrix for analyzing the Indonesian forestry sector to identify violations of forest laws and regulations. It highlights the significant impact of illegal logging on Indonesia's forests and the need for integrated, updated data to combat these activities.

• Indonesia's forests cover approximately 100 million hectares, representing 10 percent of the world's remaining tropical forests, and serve as a biodiversity hotspot providing essential ecosystem services for local and global communities.
• Despite incorporating sustainable forest management and anti-illegal logging measures since the mid-1990s, Indonesia experienced increasing deforestation rates between 2000/2001 and 2004/2005, rising from 0.2 million hectares to 1.2 million hectares.
• Illegal logging is a primary driver of forest loss in Indonesia. In 2003, one study estimated that 40 million of the 53 million cubic meters of logs consumed by mills came from unknown or illegal sources, resulting in $1.4 billion in lost government revenue. Additionally, another study estimated 10 million cubic meters of logs are illegally exported annually.
• Efforts to reduce illegal trade are hindered by scattered and outdated information regarding forest cover, administrative boundaries, timber concession and plantation boundaries, and raw material sources for mills.
• The document introduces a matrix providing step-by-step guidance to use existing data to analyze the physical status and changes in Indonesia's forests, the logging sector, and the milling sector. This approach is based on a 2006 gap analysis conducted by WRI as part of the East Asia and Pacific Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (EAP-FLEG) initiative.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Bridging the Information Gap. https://www.wri.org/research/bridging-information-gap

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Bridging the Information Gap. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/bridging-information-gap.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Bridging the Information Gap |url=https://www.wri.org/research/bridging-information-gap |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendbridging, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Bridging the Information Gap}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/bridging-information-gap}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }