Global Forest Watch records over the past decade show that the most significant natural forest destruction in Papua occurred in Merauke Regency. The Merauke forest, covering 1120 km2, was damaged due to various permits given to clear land for oil palm, industrial forest plantations, and the food barn project. 

The root cause of the destruction of forests and valuable soil is related to development. The Malind indigenous people were helpless when the national program was forced to be implemented in Merauke, such as the transmigration program in the 1970s, where the focus and agricultural programs were directed at rice crops. Forests were cut down to make space for rice fields. Furthermore, The Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) 2012 converted a part of the indigenous Malind forest into palm oil production land. And in 2020, Merauke became the support city for the national food security program, named the food estate. 

The consequences of forest loss have never been seriously considered or discussed by the national & local governments. They have never even discussed this with the indigenous Malind community. As a result, the loss of forests heavily affects the indigenous Malind as they lose their livelihoods, culture, and traditional knowledge. Additionally, deforestation also results in the extinction of animals and plants. And all this contributes to global warming and climate change, triggering extreme weather, floods, and landslides.