Global deforestation - statistics & facts
Since 1990, almost six million hectares of forest were lost each year. Overall, this would up to a land area the size of Mexico. Despite a reduction in the negative net change rate of the global forest area in the past decades, years of anthropogenic disturbances like forestry and commodity-driven deforestation have taken its toll on the extension of the lungs of the planet. To worsen the situation, natural causes of tree cover loss, like wildfires and desertification, have intensified due to climate change, leaving a worrying scenario for such vital ecosystems.
During the UN climate summit (COP16) in Glasgow in 2021, the world pledged to end deforestation by 2030. Some key progress has been achieved; the share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas (KBAs) that are protected has increased from 17.6 percent in 2000 to over 44 percent in 2022. Meanwhile, the deforested area in the Brazilian Amazon dropped to 9,000 square kilometers, the lowest figure recorded in the past five years.
Even if some improvement has already been made in the past years, the global deforestation rate remains too high, and the world is not on track to meet its 2030 target.
Wildfires, a threat on the rise
In 2023, around 28.3 million hectares of tree cover were lost worldwide, the third-highest area since the beginning of the century. The main driver of global deforestation that year were wildfires . 2023 was a year of intense wildfire activity in many regions of the world. In Canada, fire engulfed forests across all 13 Canadian provinces and territories from March to November, leaving a scene of devastation for the population and for wildlife. As a result, Canada was by far the country worst-hit by deforestation in 2023, with almost 8.6 million hectares lost. This was more than the total tree cover loss of runners-up Russia and Brazil combined. Forestry practices and agriculture are some of the other main drivers of global deforestation.Efforts to stop deforestation
In addition to the material resources provided by forests, they are also an important carbon sink and therefore fundamental in keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Since the beginning of the century, forests worldwide have captured a net average of 5.4 billion metric tons of CO2e per year, the equivalent of annual emissions in the US.During the UN climate summit (COP16) in Glasgow in 2021, the world pledged to end deforestation by 2030. Some key progress has been achieved; the share of terrestrial key biodiversity areas (KBAs) that are protected has increased from 17.6 percent in 2000 to over 44 percent in 2022. Meanwhile, the deforested area in the Brazilian Amazon dropped to 9,000 square kilometers, the lowest figure recorded in the past five years.
Even if some improvement has already been made in the past years, the global deforestation rate remains too high, and the world is not on track to meet its 2030 target.
