Deforestation and infant mortality: Evidence from Indonesia

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Demography

Background:

• Deforestation impacts human health, but net effects are complex due to confounding factors like economic activity and air pollution.
• Indonesia faces significant deforestation, particularly in high biomass natural forests (protected forests), despite official bans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to protected forest loss on infant mortality in Indonesia.
• To explore variations in these effects based on pregnancy order (gravidity).

Main Methods:

• Utilized a fixed effects approach to analyze changes in protected forest cover and infant mortality within Indonesian districts over time.
• Examined potential confounding factors including air pollution, economic activity, and healthcare access.

Main Results:

• Protected forest loss was associated with increased infant survival overall.
• A significant variation was observed by gravidity: higher-order pregnancies showed improved survival, while first pregnancies experienced increased mortality risk.
• Standard confounding factors did not explain this gravidity-specific effect.

Conclusions:

• Protected forest loss has differential impacts on infant mortality, with first pregnancies being particularly vulnerable.
• Malaria, which may increase with forest loss, is a likely mechanism driving the heightened risk for infants in first pregnancies.
• Findings highlight the need for targeted public health interventions in areas affected by deforestation.