Countries may lose some forest each year, but this is at a very slow rate. Types and rates of forest disturbance in Brazilian Legal Amazon, 20002013. By the mid-18th century, only 4% of the country was forested. This topic page can be cited as: All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license. Approximately 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are being cut each year according to a report referenced on the Rainforest Action Networks website (RAN) and other publications. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. In a related post we have combined this FAO data with global deforestation rates from Williams (2003) to document forest change over the last 300 years this gives us data on forest change from 1700 onwards. All the software and code that we write is open source and made available via GitHub under the permissive MIT license. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. Brazil and Indonesia alone account for almost half. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. To understand this more recent loss of forest, lets zoom in on the last 300 years. Africa is also an outlier as a result of how many people still rely on wood as their primary energy source. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. How many trees are cut down each year?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, 753-765. How many trees have been cut down? A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. That is why we should be focusing on tropical deforestation. Approximately 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are being cut each year according to a report referenced on the Rainforest Action Networks website (RAN) and other publications. Scientific Reports, 7, 40678. Lets now focus on the consumers of products driving deforestation. The researchs results are Some of the worlds poorest countries are still in the pre-transition phase. Ellis, E. C., Beusen, A. H., & Goldewijk, K. K. (2020). Tropical forests are often more productive than temperate forests, meaning they store more carbon. This means they were responsible for 12% of global deforestation.31 It is therefore true that rich countries are causing deforestation in poorer countries. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. The 11-month balance shows that 1,539,970 trees were cut down each day, which means 1,059 trees per minute or almost 18 trees per second. The Earth System (Vol. Since year-to-year changes in forest cover can be volatile, the UN FAO provide this annual data averaged over five-year periods. When in history did we lose it? Biodiversity: The ravages of guns, nets and bulldozers. This was first coined by Alexander Mather in the 1990s.Mather, A. S. (1990). As we covered in a previous article, 60% of tropical deforestation is driven by beef, soybean and palm oil production. Thats a lot of trees! If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake particularly beef and lamb has the largest impact. Most tropical deforestation is driven by demand for products in domestic markets. The fact that the per capita emissions after trade are very high means that a lot of their food products are consumed by people in Brazil and Indonesia. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Rome. Deforestation rates accelerated. This means interventions at the national-level will be key: this can include a range of solutions including policies such as Brazils soy moratorium, the REDD+ programme to compensate for the opportunity costs of preserving these forests, and improvements in agricultural productivity so countries can continue to produce more food on less land. Why? In the chart we see the decadal losses and gains in global forest cover. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. 2020. The consumption choices of people in these countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the world. On balance, it would still have a positive impact on the size of global forests; its net contribution would be increasing forest area by 25,000 hectares.32 However, this country might still be causing more damage than this for a couple of reasons. (2019) quantified the deforestation embedded in traded goods between countries.30 They did this by calculating the amount of deforestation associated with specific food and forestry products, and combining it with a trade model. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. As I mentioned earlier, 14% of deforestation today is driven by consumers in rich countries. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. Do rich countries import deforestation from overseas? Instead of using wood for fuel we switch to fossil fuels, or hopefully, more renewables and nuclear energy. On balance, they add to the global forest stock. As we saw previously, this deforestation accounts for around one-quarter of global forest loss. But we also see that some countries which import a lot of food have high emissions. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. The turn of the 20th century is when global forest loss reached the halfway point: half of total forest loss occurred from 8,000BC to 1900; the other half occurred in the last century alone. From 1850 to 1920, losses were around 50% higher at 30 million hectares per decade thats like losing a forested area the size of Italy every 10 years. 71% of this is driven by demand in domestic markets, and the remaining 29% for the production of products that are traded. Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. But, understanding the role of deforestation in the products we buy is important. The amount of land per person that was needed to produce enough food was not small in fact, it was much larger than today. Lets start at the top. We then get high-income countries share of deforestation as: [40% of the 29% that is traded], which is equal to 12%. But this is no longer the case: forest loss across North America and Europe is now the result of harvesting forestry products from tree plantations, or tree loss in wildfires. Lets take a look at which countries are causing deforestation overseas and the size of this impact. It results in a permanent conversion of forest into an alternative land use. That these countries have recently regained forests is also visible in the long-term forest trends above. Tropical forests, on aggregate, have also passed peak deforestation in the 1980s the longest of all bars but have not passed the transition to reforestation. Centuries ago it was mainly temperate regions that were driving global deforestation [we take a look at this longer history of deforestation in a related article]. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. Nearly all 95% of this deforestation occurs in the tropics. Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. But, the fact that forest transitions are possible should give us confidence that a positive future is possible. But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. The researchers found that 36 million trees are cut down in urban areas each year, and 167,000 acres of impervious areas (concrete, asphalt, etc.) Tree density in primary forests varies from 50,000-100,000 trees per square km, so the math would put this number at 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees cut down each year. Africas emissions are high because people are clearing forests to produce more food. In the chart here we see the breakdown of deforestation emissions by product for each consumer country. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. Thats equivalent to the area of South Africa. It assumes the impact of clearing primary rainforest in the Amazon to produce soybeans is the same as logging planted forests in the UK. Since agriculture is responsible for 60 to 80% of it, what we eat, where its sourced from, and how it is produced is our strongest lever to bring deforestation to an end. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. and an argument for why deforestation is worse than degradation. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. How much deforestation happens every day? If we can take advantage of these innovations, we can bring deforestation to an end. The Forest Transition therefore tends to follow a development pathway.16 As a country achieves economic growth it moves through each of the four stages. You see that of the 14.9 billion hectares of land on the planet, only 71% of it is habitable the other 29% is either covered by ice and glaciers, or is barren land such as deserts, salt flats, or dunes. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. You have permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. There are other aspects to consider. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. The first step in doing this is for rich countries to monitor their deforestation impacts overseas more closely. Carbon emissions from deforestation: are they driven by domestic demand or international trade? As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. The 11-month balance shows that 1,539,970 trees were cut down each day, which means 1,059 trees per minute or almost 18 trees per second. In Latin America and Southeast Asia in particular, commodity-driven deforestation mainly the clearance of forests to grow crops such as palm oil and soy, and pasture for beef production accounts for almost two-thirds of forest loss. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. Sometimes these restoration programmes pale in comparison to the deforestation theyre driving elsewhere. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. Thats an area the size of the United Kingdom. Rural Sociology, 63(4), 533-552. They are also richer sites of biodiversity. Over half of the worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in a single country. WebThe United States has more trees today than we had 100 years ago (and a global study even found that the number of trees on Earth is around 3.04 trillion, a much higher number than previously believed.) Approximately 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are being cut each year according to a report referenced on the Rainforest Action Networks website (RAN) and other publications. Countries with a positive change (shown in green) are regrowing forest faster than theyre losing it. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. If we sum countries imported deforestation by World Bank income group, we find that high-income countries were responsible for 14% of imported deforestation; upper-middle income for 52%; lower-middle income for 23%; and low income for 11%. This is nearly always true of planted forests in temperate regions there, planted forests are long-established and do not replace primary existing forests. But we should keep these important aspects in mind when comparing forest losses and gains. Whether we look at the distribution of endemic mammal species, bird species, or amphibian species, the map is the same: subtropical countries are packed with unique wildlife. Rome. To put this in perspective, that would be around one-sixth of the total carbon footprint of the average EU diet.36. Licenses: All visualizations, data, and articles produced by Our World in Data are open access under the Creative Commons BY license. We therefore look at them both individually in more detail, to better understand what we can do about it. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. They also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries. Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). At the top of the list we see some of the major producer countries Brazil and Indonesia. This is probably less than many people would expect. As we will see later, this is dominated by palm oil exports to Europe, China, India, North America and the Middle East. Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. But they wanted to contribute to a more informed discussion about where to focus forest conservation efforts by understanding why forests were being lost. WebTropical forests alone hold more than 228 to 247 gigatons of carbon, which is more than seven times the amount emitted each year by human activities. Historical data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams book, Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis. All of our charts can be embedded in any site. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. It might seem odd to argue that we should focus our efforts on tackling this quarter of forest loss (rather than the other 73%). In the coming decades this is where we might expect to see the most rapid loss of forests unless these countries take action to prevent it, and the world supports them in the goal. On the x-axis we have imported deforestation. In their analysis of global forest loss, Philip Curtis and colleagues used satellite images to assess where and why the world lost forests between 2001 and 2015. We see this in the chart. But forest cover increases through reforestation. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Most deforestation today occurs in low-to-middle income countries. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. Since there is often year-to-year variability in deforestation or reforestation rates, this is shown as the five-year average. Given the current estimate of the total tree cover on the planet, that could equate to about 0.11% of trees being cut each year. Habitat loss is the leading driver of global biodiversity loss.25 When we cut down rainforests we are destroying the habitats of many unique species, and reshaping these ecosystems permanently. Brazil, for example, went through a period of very rapid deforestation in the 1980s and 90s (its early transition phase) but its losses have slowed, meaning it is now in the late transition. It would be good if there was data available that would capture these additional aspects. Forests are mainly cut and burned to make space for local, subsistence agriculture or for fuelwood for energy. Which countries are gaining, and which are losing forest? But its not the case for deforestation. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. In a related article we look in much more detail at what agricultural products, and which countries are driving this. Thats 6 billion hectares. 95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics. How do these two measures compare? A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. How many trees have been cut down? In a previous post we looked at this change in global forests over the long-run. Loss of Biodiversity: Forests are the only liveable habitat for a variety of species around the globe many of which have not even have been discovered. The breakdown of deforestation by region is shown in the chart. Today thats just 34%. The definition of forest can vary depending on aspects such as tree density and height. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. Without reliable metrics that capture all of these differences, we will have to stick with total changes in forest area for now. The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. If poorer countries are cutting down forests to make food for rich consumers, then we should just stop trading these goods. At the beginning of this phase, the forest area is at its lowest point. Rudel, T. K. (1998). Nature, 536(7615), 143. It was a net exporter. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. Forest degradation measures a thinning of the canopy a reduction in the density of trees in the area but without a change in land use. Today, only 4 billion hectares are left. How many trees are cut down each year? The grey line marks where the area of domestic regrowth of forests is exactly equal to imported deforestation. In the chart we see the comparison between the change in domestic forest area, and deforestation driven by imported goods.33 On the vertical axis we have the domestic change in forest area: this is shown only for countries where the forest area is increasing. Why? A note on UN FAO forestry data Data on net forest change, afforestation and deforestation is sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations Forest Resources Assessment. In just over 100 years the world lost as much forest as it had in the previous 9,000 years. Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. Half of global forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900; the other half was lost in the last century alone. Given the current estimate of the total tree cover on the planet, that could equate to about 0.11% of trees being cut each year. The world lost 1.5 billion hectares of forest over that period. By Georgina Rannard. In the map we see the net deforestation embedded in trade for each country. Stage 1 The Pre-Transition phase is defined by having high levels of forest cover and no or only very slow losses over time. The history of deforestation is a tragic one, in which we not only lost these wild and beautiful landscapes but also the wildlife within them. At this stage, countries are still losing forest each year but at a lower rate than before. And, we might place more value on preserving primary, native forests that havent yet been deforested over regrowing forests that have lost their previous ecosystems. The same is true of the United States; back in 1630 46% of the area of todays USA was covered by forest. This might paint a bleak picture for the future of the worlds forests: the United Nations projects that the global population will continue to grow, reaching 10.8 billion by 2100. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? The Asia-Pacific region predominantly Indonesia and Malaysia export a higher share: 44%. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. 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