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FOREST PULSE: THE LATEST ON THE WORLD’S FORESTS

 * Mikaela Weisse
 * Elizabeth Goldman
 * Sarah Carter

Last Updated on April 4, 2024

The Forest Pulse draws on the most recent data and analysis to reveal the latest
trends in global forest loss and deforestation.

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HOW MUCH FOREST WAS LOST IN 2023?

This section of the Forest Pulse is updated annually using annual tree cover
loss data to provide a comprehensive overview on where forests have been lost
around the world. Annual updates are released each year and cover the previous
year’s trends. 


TROPICAL FOREST LOSS DROPS STEEPLY IN BRAZIL AND COLOMBIA, BUT HIGH RATES
PERSIST OVERALL

By Mikaela Weisse, Elizabeth Goldman and Sarah Carter

Data created and updated by Peter Potapov, Svetlana Turubanova and Sasha
Tyukavina – University of Maryland’s GLAD lab

 

Between 2022 and 2023, Brazil and Colombia experienced a remarkable 36% and 49%
decrease in primary forest loss, respectively. Yet despite these dramatic
reductions, the rate of tropical primary forest loss in 2023 remained stubbornly
consistent with recent years, according to new data from the University of
Maryland’s GLAD lab and available on WRI’s Global Forest Watch platform.

 * Explore the data on GFW

As some countries show political will to reduce forest loss and others do not,
the frontiers of forest loss are shifting: the notable reductions in Brazil and
Colombia were counteracted by sharp increases in forest loss in Bolivia, Laos
and Nicaragua, and more modest increases in other countries.

Total tropical primary forest loss in 2023 totaled 3.7 million hectares, the
equivalent of losing almost 10 football (soccer) fields of forest per minute.
While this represents a 9% decrease from 2022, the rate in 2023 was nearly
identical to that of 2019 and 2021. All this forest loss produced 2.4 gigatonnes
(Gt) of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023, equivalent to almost half of the
annual fossil fuel emissions of the United States. 

TROPICAL PRIMARY FOREST LOSS, 2002-2023

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Why Do We Focus on Tropical Primary Forests?

Though the tree cover loss data from the University of Maryland has global
coverage, Global Forest Watch primarily focuses on loss in the tropics because
that is where more than 96% of deforestation, or human-caused, permanent removal
of forest cover occurs. This piece largely focuses on primary forests in the
humid tropics, which are areas of mature rainforest that are especially
important for biodiversity, carbon storage and regulating regional and local
climate effects.

More

There are just six years remaining until 2030, by which time leaders of 145
countries promised to halt and reverse forest loss. While the declines in forest
loss in Brazil and Colombia show promise towards that commitment, it’s clear
that the world is falling far short of its targets.

TOP 10 COUNTRIES FOR TROPICAL PRIMARY FOREST LOSS IN 2022 AND 2023

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The Many Benefits of Forests

Forests are critical ecosystems for fighting climate change, supporting
livelihoods and protecting biodiversity.

 

Climate: As the world faces a “final warning” on the climate crisis, reducing
deforestation is one of the most cost-effective land-based measures for
mitigating climate change. Forests are both a sink and a source for carbon,
removing carbon dioxide from the air when standing or regrowing and emitting it
when cleared or degraded.

 

Human well-being: Some 1.6 billion people, including nearly 70 million
Indigenous Peoples, rely on forest resources for their livelihoods.
Deforestation, especially in the tropics, also impacts local temperatures and
rainfall in ways that can compound the local effects of global climate change,
with consequences for human health and agricultural productivity.

 

Biodiversity: Forests harbor the most biodiversity of any ecosystem on Earth,
and in turn, species that live within forests play an important role in
maintaining healthy ecosystems and resources and services that people depend on.

More

Here’s a deeper look at some of the trends in forest loss in 2023:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

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DRAMATIC REDUCTIONS IN PRIMARY FOREST LOSS IN BRAZIL AND COLOMBIA COINCIDE WITH
POLITICAL CHANGES

Brazil

Brazil lost 36% less primary forest in 2023 than in 2022, hitting its lowest
level since 2015. That decline translates to a dramatic decrease in Brazil’s
share of total primary forest loss in the tropics — from 43% of the tropical
total in 2022 to only 30% of the total in 2023.

BRAZIL PRIMARY FOREST LOSS, 2002-2023 

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The Amazon biome experienced the largest decline, with 39% less primary forest
loss in 2023 than in 2022. This is largely consistent with official government
figures, which found a 22% decrease in Amazonian deforestation from 2022 to 2023
(read more about how the GFW data compares to Brazil’s official data). As the
world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon holds outsized importance for global
biodiversity and climate change mitigation.

The reduction in forest loss coincides with the transition of government
leadership from President Jair Bolsonaro to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva,
known as Lula, at the beginning of 2023. During Bolsonaro’s tenure, his
administration eroded environmental protections and gutted enforcement agencies.
In contrast, Lula has pledged to end deforestation in the Amazon and other
biomes by 2030, and already had a proven track record on this issue from his
previous administration.

Since his reelection, President Lula has taken action to reduce forest loss,
including revoking anti-environmental measures, recognizing new Indigenous
territories, and bolstering law enforcement efforts (though some enforcement
employees are currently on strike, saying they are overworked and
undercompensated). These changes appear to be having an impact on the rate of
forest loss, though it still remains higher than its low point in the early
2010s.

This positive news comes at a time when the Amazon is experiencing its worst
drought on record. Though forest loss from fire did not increase in the
Brazilian Amazon as a whole in 2023, the area surrounding the city of Manaus saw
unprecedented fires, and the state of Roraima experienced a record-breaking
number of fires in February 2024. Concern is growing that feedback loops between
deforestation, warming temperatures and drought could result in a “tipping
point” beyond which parts of the Amazon can no longer support rainforest and
would turn into savannah.

And not all biomes in Brazil saw the reduction in forest loss seen in the
Amazon: both the Cerrado and Pantanal biomes saw increased forest loss in 2023.

SELECT BRAZIL BIOMES TREE COVER LOSS, 2001-2023 

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The Cerrado biome, a tropical savannah to the southeast of the Amazon,
experienced a 6% increase in tree cover loss1  from 2022 to 2023, continuing a
five-year increasing trend. The Cerrado is the epicenter of agricultural
production in the country and the extent of its soy production has more than
doubled over the past 20 years. Civil society organizations are calling on
companies to commit to deforestation and conversion free farming as a way to
ensure that their supply chains are not contributing to ecosystem loss in this
valuable biome.

Meanwhile, the Pantanal biome, the world’s largest tropical wetland, experienced
a spike in forest loss in 2023 due to fires. Fire is a normal feature of this
ecosystem, however, a multi-year “megadrought” caused in part by climate change
has resulted in repeated burning over large areas, which has experts worried
about the ability of this ecosystem to recover.

 

Colombia

Colombia also experienced a dramatic decline in primary forest loss in 2023,
with a 49% reduction in primary forest loss compared to 2022.

COLOMBIA PRIMARY FOREST LOSS, 2002-2023

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Colombia's rate of primary forest loss increased significantly starting in 2016,
coinciding with the country's peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC). That agreement included resettling FARC members to
new areas, leaving accessible large tracts of remote forests where they
previously maintained strict control over land use. As a result, clearing by
other armed groups and land speculators increased. The new figures for 2023
indicate a possible return to pre-peace agreement levels of forest loss.

Like Brazil, Colombia also recently experienced a change in
leadership, inaugurating President Gustavo Petro Urrego in August 2022. His
administration focuses on the environment, rural reform and peace to bring
better quality of life for people. As part of those efforts, President Petro’s
government is negotiating with different armed groups, with forest conservation
as an explicit goal of the discussions. One of the armed groups currently in the
negation process, the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), included penalties on forest
clearing as a “gesture of peace.” However, it is unclear when or if negotiations
will reach a final peace agreement with each of these groups.

Local communities have also been promoting the sustainable management of natural
resources and the conservation of forests.

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PRIMARY FOREST LOSS SURGES IN BOLIVIA, LAOS AND NICARAGUA

Not all tropical countries have seen reductions in primary forest loss like
Brazil and Colombia. Bolivia, Laos and Nicaragua all experienced rapid increases
in forest loss in 2023, largely due to fires (in the case of Bolivia) and
expansion of agricultural land.

 

Bolivia

In Bolivia, primary forest loss increased by 27%, reaching its highest year on
record for the third year in a row. Bolivia had the third most primary forest
loss of any tropical country, despite having less than half the forest area of
either the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Indonesia.

BOLIVIA PRIMARY FOREST LOSS, 2002-2023 

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Fire continues to play a major role in the country, accounting for just over
half (51%) of the primary forest loss in 2023. Forest fires in tropical nations
like Bolivia are usually set by humans for agricultural purposes, such as
regenerating grasslands for grazing and clearing for cropland, or to claim land.
Under hot and dry conditions, those fires can spread out of control into
forested areas. Bolivia experienced record-breaking heat in 2023 due to the
combination of human-caused climate change and the natural El Niño phenomenon.
In 2023, forest loss due to fire was most prevalent in the department of Beni,
which experienced more than double its rate of primary forest loss from 2022.
Forest fires again were prevalent within Noel Kempff Mercado Park and other
protected areas in the country.

Agricultural expansion was the other major driver of primary forest loss in
Bolivia. Soy expansion has resulted in nearly a million hectares of
deforestation in the country since the turn of the century, nearly a quarter of
which can be attributed to Mennonite colonies. Though Bolivia has much less soy
production than neighboring countries, most of its expansion has come at the
expense of forests. The government continues to promote the agribusiness
industry by setting ambitious targets for soy and beef exports, promoting the
expansion of biodiesel and subsidizing agricultural activity.

NEW HOT SPOTS OF FOREST LOSS IN BOLIVIA IN AREAS RAVAGED BY FIRES

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Laos

Laos also experienced its highest rate on record (since 2001) of primary forest
loss in 2023, with a 47% increase from an already record-high in 2022. In 2023
alone, 1.9% of Laos’ remaining primary forests were lost, a rate of loss that’s
5 times faster than Brazil’s proportional to its forest area.

LAOS PRIMARY FOREST LOSS, 2002-2023

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Primary forest loss in Laos is mostly driven by agricultural expansion. This
expansion is fueled in part by demand and investment in Laos’ agriculture sector
by China, which is the largest importer of Laos’ agricultural products. Laos’
economic situation may also be contributing to increased forest loss. High
unemployment, a persistent rate of hyperinflation, depreciating currency and a
rise in the price of cooking oil have driven up the cost of basic needs,
spurring farmers to carve new agricultural plots from forests.

 

Nicaragua

Nicaragua has also seen an increase in primary forest loss in 2023 and recent
years, with 60,000 hectares lost in 2023. While the country had the eleventh
highest area of primary forest loss in the tropics in 2023, it had the highest
rate of primary forest loss relative to its size,2  losing 4.2% of its remaining
primary forest in a single year.

NICARAGUA PRIMARY FOREST LOSS, 2002-2023

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The expansion of agriculture and cattle ranching is the main cause of forest
loss in Nicaragua. Gold mining is also a driver: the area of mining concessions
has also nearly doubled since 2021 to cover around 15% of the country. Beef and
gold are both major exports for Nicaragua, with much of their production bound
for the United States. In many cases, deforestation has been accompanied by
violent land invasions in Indigenous territories. Sources say the government is
complicit in deforestation and land invasions, also shuttering environmental and
Indigenous advocacy groups in the country.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

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PRIMARY FOREST LOSS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO CONTINUES APACE

Persistently high rates of primary forest loss in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) are cause for concern. The Congo Basin is the last major tropical
forest that remains a carbon sink, meaning the forest absorbs more carbon than
it emits. Most Congo Basin countries experience consistently low levels of
primary forest loss, such as Gabon and the Republic of the Congo — both High
Forest Low Deforestation (HFLD) countries — which continued to see low levels in
2023. However, more than half of the Congo Basin’s forest is located in DRC,
which is losing half a million hectares of primary rainforest each year. And
while the rate in 2023 increased by only 3%, the continued small increases over
many years are adding up.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO PRIMARY FOREST LOSS, 2015-2023

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This graph shows primary forest loss since 2015, when the integration of Landsat
8 satellite data and updates to the loss detection algorithm from UMD resulted
in better capturing of small-scale loss, which is common in Congo Basin
countries. Primary forest loss prior to 2015 is underreported in the data.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The drivers of loss in DRC are predominantly shifting cultivation (where land is
cleared and burned for the short-term cultivation of crops and left fallow for
forests and soil nutrients to regenerate) and charcoal production, the dominant
form of energy in the country (generated by cutting and burning timber). Poverty
is widespread and access to electricity is limited — about 62% of the population
lives on approximately US$2 a day and 81% does not have access to electricity —
with local populations relying on forests for food and energy demands.

The rate of primary forest loss was higher in the eastern part of DRC, where new
hot spots of loss appeared in 2023. Armed groups have impacted this region for
more than two decades by selling timber and other forest products to fund their
operations, harming local populations. Additionally, approximately 5.6 million
people have been displaced and survive by clearing the forest for fuel and to
open land for agriculture.

NEW HOT SPOTS SHOW EXPANSION OF FOREST LOSS FRONTIERS IN EASTERN DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

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Another driver of primary forest loss seen in DRC in 2023 was artisanal and
semi-industrial mining. Though a relatively small driver of forest loss, mining
that is not conducted responsibly can contribute to deforestation and
degradation at local scales, as well as to human rights abuses for workers and
other negative impacts to communities and ecosystems.

While high rates of primary forest loss continue, the government of DRC has
promised to invest in an economy not based entirely on resource exploitation.
Work as part of the New Climate Economy is set to commence in 2024, which
promises resources to protect DRC’s forests and enable the economic
transformation needed to reduce pressure on forests. 

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PRIMARY FOREST LOSS IN INDONESIA REMAINS HISTORICALLY LOW DESPITE AN UPTICK IN
2023

Indonesia experienced a 27% uptick in primary forest loss in 2023, an El Niño
year, though the rate remains well below that of the mid-2010s.

INDONESIA PRIMARY FOREST LOSS, 2002-2023

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Much of the primary forest loss in Indonesia according to the GFW analysis is
within areas that Indonesia classifies as secondary forest and other land cover
(e.g., mixed dry land agriculture, estate crop, plantation forest, shrub and
others). This is because the GFW primary forest definition is different than
Indonesia’s official primary forest definition and classification. GFW’s
statistics on loss of primary forests in Indonesia are therefore considerably
higher than the official Indonesian statistics on deforestation in primary
forest. 

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The emergence of El Niño conditions led to concerns that Indonesia might
experience another fire season like 2015; however, fires in 2023 had a less
severe impact than initially predicted. In rural areas, fire is used to clear
land for agriculture and can escape beyond property boundaries into trees and
peat soils, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere. Wetter conditions than
the 2015 El Niño and investments made by the government in fire prevention
capabilities, as well as efforts to suppress fire by local communities, all
contributed to a quieter than expected fire season.

Primary forest loss in patches greater than 100 hectares made up 15% of the loss
in Indonesia in 2023. The expansion of industrial plantations took place in
several locations adjacent to existing oil palm and pulp and paper plantations
in Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and West Papua. According to the Ministry
of Environment and Forestry, this expansion occurred in concessions granted
prior to 2014 when the current administration took office.

Small scale primary forest loss was also prevalent throughout the country in
2023. Small clearings for agriculture contributed to ongoing losses within
several protected areas, including Tesso Nilo National Park and Rawa Singkil
Wildlife Reserve. Other losses linked to mining could be seen in Sumatra,
Maluku, Central Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

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FIRES ONCE AGAIN DRIVE TREE COVER LOSS OUTSIDE THE TROPICS

As in previous years, the global trend in tree cover loss depends largely on
annual fire dynamics in boreal forests. 2023 saw a 24% increase in global tree
cover loss, from 22.8 million hectares in 2022 to 28.3 million hectares in 2023,
which can entirely be explained by a huge increase in fire-driven tree cover
loss in Canada. In the rest of the world, tree cover loss decreased overall by
4%. 

CANADA TREE COVER LOSS, 2001-2023  

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Like in many areas of the world, extensive drought and increased temperatures
driven by climate change were widespread across Canada. This led to the worst
fire season on record, with a 5-fold increase in tree cover loss due to fire
between 2022 and 2023. High temperatures create dry and extremely flammable fuel
for fires, meaning that fires are more likely to start, and also more likely to
turn into megafires.

While fires can be a natural part of the ecosystem in northern forests and the
forests can often regrow, more intense and more frequent fires can lead to
permanent changes to forests. Smoldering fires can also persist below the ground
and reignite again, causing more damage.

The consequences of Canada’s 2023 fires also go beyond forests — resulting in
destroyed homes and fatalities, and temporarily causing some of the worst air
quality in the world across some of the most populous parts of Canada and the
United States.

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PROGRESS IS POSSIBLE, BUT NEEDS TO HAPPEN EVERYWHERE

The data from 2023 demonstrates that countries can cut rates of tropical forest
loss if they garner the political will to do so, and the countries that have
accomplished this can provide lessons for others. However, past experience in
Brazil shows that such progress can be reversed when political winds change.

Enduring incentives and financial mechanisms that place a value on standing
forests are needed to make forests less vulnerable to depletion from farms,
mines, infrastructure or other economic activities. REDD+ and other
performance-based payment mechanisms can provide a financial incentive for
forest protection and restoration by valuing forest carbon, and regulatory or
voluntary measures to eliminate deforestation from commodity supply chains can
help to counter economic drivers of tropical deforestation. Investments in the
bioeconomy can also lead to progress on reducing deforestation while promoting
economic growth and ensuring the livelihoods of those who rely on forests.

Ultimately, solutions that are truly adapted to the local context, alongside
global solutions for climate change and sustainability, must work hand in hand
to reduce forest loss everywhere. 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Explore the data yourself on Global Forest Watch 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More

 * 2022 Forest Pulse

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cultivated for their food, cultural, or economic values. These include oil palm,
rubber, cocoa, cashew, mango, oranges (citrus), plantain, banana, and
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agricultural or agropastoral production systems that integrate trees in the
agricultural landscape.\r\n"},"101":{"name":"albedo","description":"The ability
of surfaces to reflect sunlight.\u0026nbsp;Light-colored surfaces return a large
part of the sunrays back to the atmosphere (high albedo). Dark surfaces absorb
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original forest community (number of species and individuals) that
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significance","description":"The importance of an area for the persistence of
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providing ecosystem services.\r\n"},"7":{"name":"hectare","description":"One
hectare equals 100 square meters, 2.47 acres, or 0.01 square kilometers and is
about the size of a rugby field. A football pitch is slightly smaller than a
hectare (pitches are between 0.62 and 0.82
hectares).\r\n"},"66":{"name":"hectares","description":"One hectare equals 100
square meters, 2.47 acres, or 0.01 square kilometers and is about the size of a
rugby field. A football pitch is slightly smaller than a hectare (pitches are
between 0.62 and 0.82 hectares).\r\n"},"67":{"name":"intact","description":"A
forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as
determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native
biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"78":{"name":"intact forest","description":"A
forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as
determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native
biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"8":{"name":"intact forests","description":"A
forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as
determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native
biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"55":{"name":"land and environmental
defenders","description":"People who peacefully promote and protect rights
related to land and\/or the environment.\r\n"},"9":{"name":"loss
driver","description":"The direct cause of forest
disturbance.\r\n"},"10":{"name":"low tree canopy density","description":"Less
than 30 percent tree canopy density.\r\n"},"84":{"name":"managed forest
concession","description":"Areas where governments have given rights to private
companies to harvest timber and other wood products from natural forests on
public lands.\r\n"},"83":{"name":"managed forest concession maps for nine
countries","description":"Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Indonesia, Liberia, and the
Republic of the Congo\r\n"},"104":{"name":"managed natural
forests","description":"Naturally regenerated forests with signs of management,
including logging, clear cuts,
etc.\r\n"},"91":{"name":"megacities","description":"A city with more than 10
million people.\r\n"},"57":{"name":"megacity","description":"A city with more
than 10 million people."},"56":{"name":"mosaic
restoration","description":"Restoration that integrates trees into mixed-use
landscapes, such as agricultural lands and settlements, where trees can support
people through improved water quality, increased soil fertility, and other
ecosystem services. This type of restoration is more likely in deforested or
degraded forest landscapes with moderate population density (10\u2013100 people
per square kilometer). "},"86":{"name":"natural","description":"A forest that is
grown without human intervention.\r\n"},"12":{"name":"natural
forest","description":"A forest that is grown without human
intervention.\r\n"},"63":{"name":"natural forests","description":"A forest that
is grown without human intervention.\r\n"},"144":{"name":"open canopy
systems","description":"Individual tree crowns that do not overlap to form a
continuous canopy layer.\r\n"},"82":{"name":"persistent
gain","description":"Forests that have experienced one gain event from 2001 to
2016.\r\n"},"13":{"name":"persistent loss and gain","description":"Forests that
have experienced one loss or one gain event from 2001 to
2016."},"97":{"name":"plantation","description":"An area in which trees have
been planted, generally for commercial
purposes.\u0026nbsp;\r\n"},"93":{"name":"plantations","description":"An area in
which trees have been planted, generally for commercial
purposes.\u0026nbsp;\r\n"},"88":{"name":"planted","description":"A forest
composed of trees that have been deliberately planted and\/or seeded by
humans.\r\n"},"14":{"name":"planted forest","description":"Stand of planted
trees \u2014 other than tree crops \u2014 grown for wood and wood fiber
production or for ecosystem protection against wind and\/or soil
erosion.\r\n"},"73":{"name":"planted forests","description":"Stand of planted
trees \u2014 other than tree crops \u2014 grown for wood and wood fiber
production or for ecosystem protection against wind and\/or soil
erosion."},"148":{"name":"planted trees","description":"Stand of trees
established through planting, including both planted forest and tree
crops."},"149":{"name":"Planted trees","description":"Stand of trees established
through planting, including both planted forest and tree
crops."},"15":{"name":"primary forest","description":"Old-growth forests that
are typically high in carbon stock and rich in biodiversity. The GFR uses a
humid tropical primary rainforest data set, representing forests in the humid
tropics that have not been cleared in recent years.\r\n"},"64":{"name":"primary
forests","description":"Old-growth forests that are typically high in carbon
stock and rich in biodiversity. The GFR uses a humid tropical primary rainforest
data set, representing forests in the humid tropics that have not been cleared
in recent years.\r\n"},"58":{"name":"production forest","description":"A forest
where the primary management objective is to produce timber, pulp, fuelwood,
and\/or nonwood forest products."},"89":{"name":"production
forests","description":"A forest where the primary management objective is to
produce timber, pulp, fuelwood, and\/or nonwood forest
products.\r\n"},"87":{"name":"seminatural","description":"A managed forest
modified by humans, which can have a different species composition from
surrounding natural forests.\r\n"},"59":{"name":"seminatural
forests","description":"A managed forest modified by humans, which can have a
different species composition from surrounding natural forests.
"},"96":{"name":"shifting agriculture","description":"Temporary loss or
permanent deforestation due to small- and medium-scale
agriculture.\r\n"},"103":{"name":"surface roughness","description":"Surface
roughness of forests creates\u0026nbsp;turbulence that slows near-surface winds
and cools the land as it lifts heat from low-albedo leaves and moisture from
evapotranspiration high into the atmosphere and slows otherwise-drying winds.
\r\n"},"17":{"name":"tree cover","description":"All vegetation greater than five
meters in height and may take the form of natural forests or plantations across
a range of canopy densities. Unless otherwise specified, the GFR uses greater
than 30 percent tree canopy density for calculations.\r\n"},"71":{"name":"tree
cover canopy density is low","description":"Less than 30 percent tree canopy
density.\r\n"},"60":{"name":"tree cover gain","description":"The establishment
of tree canopy in an area that previously had no tree cover. Tree cover gain may
indicate a number of potential activities, including natural forest growth or
the crop rotation cycle of tree plantations.\u0026nbsp;As such, tree cover gain
does not equate to restoration.\r\n"},"18":{"name":"tree cover
loss","description":"The removal or mortality of tree cover, which can be due to
a variety of factors, including mechanical harvesting, fire, disease, or storm
damage. As such, loss does not equate to
deforestation.\r\n"},"150":{"name":"tree crops","description":"Stand of
perennial trees that produce agricultural products, such as rubber, oil palm,
coffee, coconut, cocoa and orchards."},"19":{"name":"tree
plantation","description":"An agricultural plantation of fast-growing tree
species on short rotations for the production of timber, pulp, or
fruit.\r\n"},"72":{"name":"tree plantations","description":"An agricultural
plantation of fast-growing tree species on short rotations for the production of
timber, pulp, or fruit.\r\n"},"85":{"name":"trees outside
forests","description":"Trees found in urban areas, alongside roads, or within
agricultural land\u0026nbsp;are often referred to as Trees Outside Forests
(TOF).\u202f\r\n"},"151":{"name":"unmanaged","description":"Naturally
regenerated forests without any signs of management, including primary
forest."},"105":{"name":"unmanaged natural forests","description":"Naturally
regenerated forests without any signs of management, including primary
forest.\r\n"}}}
 * English
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 * 1. Note that here we use “tree cover loss” rather than “primary forest loss”
   because the primary forest data available for this analysis is for humid
   tropical forests and does not cover drier ecosystems like the Cerrado. The
   loss captured in this statistic includes all loss, including in secondary
   vegetation and plantations.
 * 2. Of countries with at least 1 million hectares of tropical primary forest
   in 2001.

Forest Pulse
* Forest Pulse Archive

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Top 10 Lists

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About

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data and Methods

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indicators
* About the Indicators

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indicators of Forest Extent
* Forest Extent
* Forest Loss
* Primary Forest Loss
* Deforestation Linked to Agriculture
* Forest Gain
* Trees Outside Forests

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indicators of Forest Condition
* Forest Degradation
* Forest Recovery

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indicators of Forest Designation
* Protected Forests
* Production Forests

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indicators of Biodiversity and Ecological Services
* Biodiversity Conservation
* Forest Carbon Stocks
* Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from Forests
* Soil Stability and Water Regulation

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indicators of Social and Governance Issues
* Indigenous and Community Forests
* Deforestation and Vulnerable Populations
* Forestland-Related Conflict

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



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