Indonesia food plan risks 'world's largest' deforestation

But environmentalists warn it could become the world's largest deforestation project, threatening endangered species and Jakarta's climate commitments. At a minimum, however, it aims to plant several million hectares of rice and sugar cane across South Papua province's Merauke. "In South Papua, the landscape and the ecosystem is lowland forest," said Samperante. Indonesia has some of the world's highest deforestation rates, and Papua retains some of the largest remaining untouched tracts. The defense ministry said the military had the resources and "high discipline" to accelerate the food project while securing "stability and security" in the region.