However, deforestation has slowed in all regions of the world in the last decade, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Deforestation refers to the loss of forest or its conversion to another use, such as urban use or vacant land.
Every year for the last decade, the world has been losing around 10.9 million hectares. of forest. That rate is an improvement compared to the 13.6 million hectares lost annually in the previous period and the 17.6 million before that.
Who monitors the forests?
The encouraging trend was revealed Tuesday in FAO’s latest forestry assessment report, which is published every five years.
It provides a comprehensive analysis of global and regional forest trends using data collected from remote sensing (an advanced process using imagery and satellites) and national reports.
Through international agreements focused on addressing climate change, such as the Paris Agreement, the UN promotes a collective approach to protecting the environment.
Assessments like the FAO forestry report monitor whether countries are complying with the United Nations treaties and frameworks they have signed.
Qu Dongyu, director-general of the agency, said the data produced by these assessments serve many purposes “from informing the global community about the state of forests and their changes, to supporting decisions, policies and investments related to forests and the ecosystem services they provide.”
How are forests preserved?
One fifth of the world’s forests are found in legally established protected areas. 251 million hectares of additional protected forests since 1990 – according to the evaluation. Asia has the highest proportion of all regions, with 26 percent forest cover.
Beyond protection orders, more than half of all forests are managed. That means the land is used to produce wood, fiber and bioenergy, or for soil and water protection and biodiversity conservation, or for tourism, among other uses. In Europe, a staggering 94 percent of forests are managed.
If forests are managed, who owns them? As of 2020, 71 percent of the world’s forests are publicly owned.. In North and Central America, indigenous peoples and local communities owned 41.6 million hectares of forest.
Fires, insects, diseases.
Last year, the FAO linked the growing risk of forest fires and pests to climate change.
Fires remain a frequent threat, affecting an average of 261 million hectares of land per year, almost half of which is forest.
In 2020, another 41 million hectares of forests were damaged by insects, diseases and severe weather events.
Contributing to efforts to monitor and protect forests, a special Forest Pavilion will promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development during the upcoming UN COP30 climate conference next month in Brazil.