Papua deforestation accelerates despite EU rules; largest clearing project underway

Indonesia continues large-scale deforestation in Papua's Merauke region, clearing an area three-quarters the size of the Netherlands for palm oil and sugarcane, despite upcoming EU deforestation regulations. The Netherlands remains the largest importer of palm oil, with the product present in 40% of Dutch supermarket goods. This highlights a gap between EU policy intent and actual supply-chain enforcement, with environmental and climate implications.