Global Deforestation and Forest Growth over 30 Years
Global
Deforestation and Forest Growth over 30 Years
Forests are the great carbon capturers of our planet, and they are a key source of wildlife habitats and vital resources for people around the world.
But deforestation is threatening this natural
infrastructure, releasing carbon into the atmosphere while simultaneously
reducing wildlife diversity and making our environment more susceptible to
environmental disasters.
The State
of Deforestation by Region
Today, forests make up around 31% of the Earth’s total land area, spanning 15.68 million square miles (40.6 million km²). Over the past three decades, the world lost a bit more than 4% (685,300 square miles) of its forests, which equates to an area about half the size of India.
Europe and Asia were the only two regions which had
significant overall forest growth during this time period, while Oceania
saw no significant change and North and Central America saw a slight reduction.
Region Forest area
change (1990-2020) Percentage
change in forest area
Asia +146,718 sq
mi +6.64%
Europe +88,803 sq mi +2.34%
Oceania +1,057
sq mi +0.0015%
North America and Central America -7,722 sq mi -0.34%
South America and the Caribbean -501,932 sq mi -13.30%
Africa -409,268 sq
mi -14.29%
Global total -685,401
sq mi -4.19%
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Africa along with South America and the Caribbean were the regions with the greatest amount of net forest loss, both losing more than 13% of their forests over the past 30 years. This is largely because these two regions have large amounts of forest area available, with the underlying land in high demand for agriculture and cattle-raising.
Although the overall forest loss around the world is massive, the
rate of forest loss has slowed down over the past three decades. While an
average of 30,116 square miles were lost each year between 1990 to 2000, between
2010 to 2020 that number has dropped to 18,146 square miles, showing that the
rate of overall loss has fallen by almost 40%.
The Countries and
Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Growth
Despite an overall slowing down of forest loss, certain countries in South America along with the entirety of Africa are still showing an increase in the rate of forest loss. It’s in these regions where most of the countries with the largest reduction in forest area are located:
Country Net
change in forest area (1990-2020) Percentage
change in forest area
Brazil -356,287 sq mi -15.67%
Indonesia -101,977
sq mi -22.28%
Democratic Republic of the Congo -94,495
sq mi -16.25%
Angola -48,865 sq mi -15.97%
Tanzania -44,962
sq mi -20.29%
Myanmar -41,213 sq
mi -27.22%
Paraguay -36,463
sq mi -36.97%
Bolivia -26,915 sq mi -12.06%
Mozambique -25,614 sq mi -15.29%
Argentina -25,602
sq mi -18.84%
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Brazil, home to most of the Amazon rainforest, saw 356,287 square miles of net forest loss, largely fueled by farmers using the land to raise cattle for beef. It’s estimated that 80% of the deforested land area of the Amazon has been replaced with pastures, with the resulting beef production known to be among the worst meats for the environment in terms of carbon emissions.
Forests and the
Climate Crisis
It’s estimated that forests absorb around 30% of the world’s
carbon emissions each year, making them the greatest and most important carbon
sinks we have on land. When you pair this with the fact that deforestation
contributes around 12% of annual greenhouse gas emissions, the importance of
forest preservation becomes even more clear.
Preserving and
Regrowing Forests for the Future
Despite the short-term acceleration in forest loss seen in 2020, there have been positive signs about forest regrowth coming to light. A recent study found that previously deforested land can recuperate its soil fertility in about a decade, and layered plants, trees, and species diversity can recover in around 25-60 years.
Along with this, in some instances these regrowing “secondary forests” can absorb more carbon dioxide than “primary forests”, giving hope that a global reforestation effort can absorb more emissions than previously thought possible.
From better financial incentives for local farmers and ranchers to
preserve forest area to larger scale policies and initiatives like CAFI,
curbing deforestation and promoting reforestation requires a global effort.
Reversing forest loss in the coming decades is a daunting but necessary step towards
stabilizing the climate and preserving the environment that billions of animals
and people rely on.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-30-years-of-deforestation-and-forest-growth-by-country/
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