Koni, deforestation of 100,000 hectares (the estimated area of the new capital) in East Kalimantan has the potential to release 48 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere, equivalent to emissions released by 9.3 million vehicles in one year. In 2018 alone, these two regencies lost 35,000 hectares of tree cover.Īccording to Dr. The map below shows tree cover and tree cover loss in the region of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara. Indonesia’s forests are home to thousands of plant and animal species, and 50-60 million Indonesians depend directly on the forests for their livelihoods. Land management and forest conservation is of utmost importance in Indonesia, because over half of Indonesia’s emissions come from land use and land use change, according to Climate Watch Indonesia.

Within these regencies, there are 1.8 million hectares of forest, making up 65% of the land area.

President Widodo proposed that the location for the new capital will be within North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies, in East Kalimantan. Looking at the variety of data on Resource Watch and Global Forest Watch, we’ve compiled five maps that show issues to consider before moving the capital: Forests Nirarta “Koni” Samadhi, director of World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia, points out that, “According to the Ministry of National Development Planning, for the removal of the capital city, an area of 60,000-100,000 hectares is needed, or equivalent to the size of New York City.”īuilding a city the size of New York City on the forested island of Borneo has the potential to come at a tremendous environmental cost. But building a new capital on Borneo may not improve conditions within Jakarta and will require large infrastructure improvements in the new location. The proposed location of the new capital is East Kalimantan province, on the island of Borneo.

The city’s large and growing population also creates problems with traffic congestion and air quality. President Widodo’s motivation for moving is that the city is sinking by as much as 6 inches (15 cm) per year, making it more vulnerable to sea level rise. The current capital of Jakarta is located on Java, the most populated island in the world. In late August, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that he will move the country’s capital to another island. Amid environmental concerns, Indonesia moves its capital out of Jakarta.

Map of jakarta city