The gap between Riau’s forest-rich interior and its coastal regencies could hardly be starker: Pelalawan recorded 872,641 hectares of forest and conservation area in 2022, while Bengkalis protected just 31 hectares of its hutan lindung — a margin of more than 28,000-to-1.
The heavyweight
Pelalawan’s 872,641 ha of total forest land made it the largest single holder among 70 areas measured by BPS. Its mix includes 606,818 ha of permanent production forest and another 125,025 ha of nature reserves and sanctuaries, providing a buffer for both timber operations and conservation.
The thinnest patch
At the opposite end, Bengkalis posted the smallest protected-forest footprint — a 31-hectare plot classified as hutan lindung. Siak and Pekanbaru registered similarly tiny figures at 79 ha and 577 ha respectively, underscoring how urban and plantation-heavy zones have pushed designated forestland to the margins.
What the data measures
The BPS compilation covers six land categories in Riau: protected forest, nature reserves, limited production forest, permanent production forest, convertible production forest, and the aggregate total. Across all entries, the combined area reached 10.7 million hectares, with the average regency or city holding roughly 152,900 ha.
- Leader: Pelalawan — 872,641 ha total forest area
- Runner-up: Indragiri Hilir — 693,380 ha
- Lowest: Bengkalis — 31 ha (protected forest)
- Average: 152,928 ha per administrative zone
- Total: 10,705,006 ha across 70 recorded areas
The data, drawn from Riau’s forestry and environment office notes, suggests that forest designation remains highly concentrated in a handful of regencies, while many coastal and urban districts retain only residual pockets of conservation land.
Source: Indonesian Central Statistics Agency (BPS) — Web API · Friday, 3 July 2026, 09:05
