Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Batam
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Batam has lost about 2,820 hectares of forest (about 3,900 football pitches): 36% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 7,780 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,820 ha36% of it, about 3,900 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 2,680 hadeforestation, 95% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2002496 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km south of the city centre.
Satellite photos of the same 5 × 5 km area, one per year, all taken in the same season so the colours compare. You can see forest being cleared and towns spreading, though not single trees. Download the before/after image (free to reuse with credit to Airleaf).
Year by year
Forest lost around Batam, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 82 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 97 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2002, when about 496 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 148 ha | 4 ha | 152 ha |
| 2002 | 455 ha | 41 ha | 496 ha |
| 2003 | 48 ha | 7 ha | 55 ha |
| 2004 | 102 ha | 5 ha | 107 ha |
| 2005 | 371 ha | 11 ha | 382 ha |
| 2006 | 76 ha | under 1 ha | 76 ha |
| 2007 | 45 ha | under 1 ha | 45 ha |
| 2008 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2009 | 88 ha | under 1 ha | 88 ha |
| 2010 | 34 ha | under 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2011 | 74 ha | under 1 ha | 74 ha |
| 2012 | 65 ha | under 1 ha | 65 ha |
| 2013 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2014 | 122 ha | 12 ha | 134 ha |
| 2015 | 167 ha | 14 ha | 181 ha |
| 2016 | 114 ha | 7 ha | 121 ha |
| 2017 | 188 ha | 16 ha | 204 ha |
| 2018 | 70 ha | 4 ha | 74 ha |
| 2019 | 64 ha | 2 ha | 65 ha |
| 2020 | 21 ha | 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2021 | 106 ha | 1 ha | 107 ha |
| 2022 | 81 ha | 7 ha | 88 ha |
| 2023 | 120 ha | 2 ha | 122 ha |
| 2024 | 50 ha | 3 ha | 53 ha |
| 2025 | 38 ha | 3 ha | 40 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 7,360 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,550 ha
- Overall change
- −803 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Batam shrank from about 7,360 hectares to 6,550 hectares, a net loss of about 803 hectares (−11%). New forest grew on about 836 hectares, but 1,640 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation around Batam?
- 95%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 5%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Towns and roads63% · 1,790 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Farms, pasture and plantations25% · 702 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Mining and energy6.6% · 187 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
- Wildfires3.4% · 96 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Logging1.3% · 37 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Nearby cities losing forest
| City | Forest lost (10 km) | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore, Singapore | 468 ha | 12% | 461 ha |
| Pekanbaru | 5,150 ha | 42% | 5,150 ha |
| Jambi City | 5,870 ha | 35% | 5,860 ha |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 1,250 ha | 25% | 1,250 ha |
| Palembang | 5,540 ha | 44% | 5,180 ha |
| Pontianak | 5,880 ha | 34% | 5,870 ha |
Use this data
Put Batam's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Batam
How much forest has Batam lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Batam has lost about 2,820 hectares of forest (about 3,900 football pitches): 36% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
Is deforestation around Batam getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 82 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 97 hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation around Batam?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (63%), farms, pasture and plantations (25%), mining and energy (6.6%). About 2,680 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss around Batam?
The worst year was 2002, when about 496 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Batam growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Batam shrank from about 7,360 hectares to 6,550 hectares, a net loss of about 803 hectares (−11%). New forest grew on about 836 hectares, but 1,640 hectares were lost. These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Can I see satellite images of Batam over the years?
Yes. The timelapse at the top of this page has a satellite photo for every year from 2017 to 2026 of a 5 × 5 km area near Batam, where the most forest was lost. Press play to watch it change, or turn on "Show cleared forest" to see exactly where trees were lost.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches within 10 km of the centre of Batam, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.