Collaboration

West Papua has approximately 8.7 million hectares of natural forest, covering around 88% of its land area. However, these forests continue to face various threats to their flora and fauna. According to Global Forest Watch, between 2002 and 2025, West Papua lost approximately 250,000 hectares of primary forest and around 360,000 hectares of tree cover, mainly due to land clearing, logging, infrastructure development, and mining.

This habitat loss threatens species such as birds-of-paradise, cassowaries, tree kangaroos, and cuscuses. In addition, illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking remain serious challenges, while climate change is disrupting ecosystem balance through changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, as well as rising sea levels that affect forests, mangroves, and coral reefs. Although West Papua remains one of Indonesia’s last strongholds of tropical rainforest, continued conservation and sustainable management efforts are essential to protect its rich biodiversity.