Tropical forest loss decreased in 2023 but global threats remain, data shows

• In tropical forests, primary forest loss improved, decreasing by 9% compared to 2023.
• In Brazil and Colombia, conservation policies and environmental initiatives have reduced forest loss.
• In Canada, massive wildfires have caused an unprecedented increase in tree cover loss.

Tropical forest loss declined last year, but other indicators show the world’s forests remain under significant pressure, according to an analysis released Thursday by the Global Forest Watch monitoring project.

Deforestation contributes to global climate change. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, which causes climate warming, and store it in the wood as carbon, so when wood rots or burns, greenhouse gases are released.

This destruction also puts biodiversity at risk, as there are so many species of plants and animals that call forests home.

Brazil’s Amazon rainforest faces severe drought, affecting food and water supplies for thousands of people

Key takeaways from Global Forest Watch’s annual forest loss data include:

Conditions were better in tropical forests.

Loss of primary forests (untouched forests, also known as primary forests) in the tropics decreased by 9% last year compared to 2022.

However, Global Forest Watch researchers said destruction remained at high levels. Last year, the world lost around 37,000 square kilometers (14,000 square miles) of primary tropical forest, an area roughly the size of Switzerland and larger than the US state of Maryland.

Global Forest Watch is a satellite imagery project of the World Resources Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington. Most of the data was compiled by researchers at the University of Maryland.

Michaela Weisse, director of Global Forest Watch, told a news conference that declining forest losses in Brazil and Colombia have been largely offset by greater losses elsewhere.

“The world has taken two steps forward and two steps back,” Weisse said.

Scientists believe that the lush vegetation of old-growth tropical forests is some of the most valuable because it is the most densely packed with carbon. These forests are also a treasure trove of biodiversity. For example, the Amazon rainforest is home to at least 10% of Earth’s known species.

The loss of old-growth tropical forests last year produced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to half the annual U.S. emissions from burning fossil fuels, Weisse said.

Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bolivia topped the ranking of tropical countries with the greatest loss of primary forest. This was achieved despite a 36% reduction in destruction in Brazil, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promoted aggressive conservation policies, particularly regarding the Amazon, Weisse said.

In neighboring Colombia, forest loss has decreased by 49%. President Gustavo Petro has made environmental protection an important part of the peace process with the armed groups that control the jungle region, Weisse noted.

Deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was relatively stable, but the extent of deforestation was high at approximately 1,930 square miles.

Bolivia, in third place, experienced record loss of primary forest for the third year in a row, with destruction rates soaring 27%. Agricultural production and fires caused most of the losses.

Increased deforestation

According to the report, global deforestation increased by 3.2% in 2023.

Forest loss includes natural destruction of forests that can regrow, such as forest fires, pests, and wind storms. Deforestation, which refers to people permanently converting forests to other uses such as agriculture, is more difficult to measure.

Rod Taylor, director of forests at the World Resources Institute, said in 2021 that more than 140 countries had committed to ending deforestation by the end of the decade, but that goal requires a significant reduction in destruction each year. said.

“We are way off track and heading in the wrong direction when it comes to reducing global deforestation,” Taylor said.

Brazil, Indonesia and Bolivia lead the way in deforestation, followed closely by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Canadian wildfires no longer recorded

Tree cover loss increased by 24% in 2022 across all forests worldwide. This is mainly due to the large wildfires that occurred in Canada.

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Canada’s forest loss of more than 80,000 square kilometers (30,900 square miles) was three times more than in any year on record, offsetting declines in forest loss in other parts of the world.

“This is one of the largest anomalies on record,” said Matt Hansen, a researcher at the University of Maryland.

While deforestation in the tropics is a contributing factor to human-induced climate change, the Canadian wildfires are instead a symptom of global warming, with hotter, drier conditions leading to larger fires.

“This is a huge problem and a warning about the impact on climate change,” Hansen said.