Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. are added every year. In the article we will look at the reasons we lose forest; how these can be differentiated in a useful way; and what this means for understanding our priorities in tackling forest loss. Half of global forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900; the other half was lost in the last century alone. This helps consumers understand what products they should be concerned about, but also allows us to target specific supply chains. Deforestation in Africa is mainly driven by local populations and markets; only 9% of its emissions are exported. This gives us an indication of the impact of the average persons diet. Since international demand is driving one-third of deforestation emissions, we have some opportunity to reduce emissions through global consumers and supply chains. Some of the worlds poorest countries are still in the pre-transition phase. Licenses: All visualizations, data, and articles produced by Our World in Data are open access under the Creative Commons BY license. Global forest resources. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. 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. If poorer countries are cutting down forests to make food for rich consumers, then we should just stop trading these goods. From the chart we see that this was driven by the continued expansion of land for agriculture. University of Chicago Press.FAO (2020). The world loses almost six million hectares of forest each year to deforestation. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. 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. Forest loss or tree loss captures two fundamental impacts on forest cover: deforestation and forest degradation. Can we bring it to an end? And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. The UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. 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. Mather refers to an annual loss of less than 0.25% as a small loss. Thats a lot of trees! 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. That these countries have recently regained forests is also visible in the long-term forest trends above. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. From this understanding we can define five reasons why we lose forests: Thanks to satellite imagery, we can get a birds-eye view of what these drivers look like from above. It might seem odd to argue that we should focus our efforts on tackling this quarter of forest loss (rather than the other 73%). But we should keep these important aspects in mind when comparing forest losses and gains. Scientific Reports, 7, 40678. Improvements in agricultural productivity tends to both drive and follow economic growth. But it was then that England reached its transition point and since then, forests have doubled in size. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. The UK imported 34,000 hectares of deforestation but increased its domestic forests by only 19,000 hectares. 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. Scottish Geographical Journal, 120(1-2), 83-98. But international markets alone cannot fix this problem. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. From the 1920s through to the 1980s, decadal losses quadrupled to almost 120 million hectares. It will be possible for our generation to achieve the same on the global scale and bring the 10,000 year history of forest loss to an end. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. By Georgina Rannard. The researchs results are Today thats just 34%. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. Today, only 4 billion hectares are left. This increase was mostly driven by tropical deforestation as countries across Asia and Latin America followed the path of Europe and North America. Its the foods and products we buy, not where we live, that has the biggest impact on global land use. The problem is that it treats all forest loss as equal. 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. Environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe. 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.) The same is true of the United States; back in 1630 46% of the area of todays USA was covered by forest. To put this in perspective, that would be around one-sixth of the total carbon footprint of the average EU diet.36. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. 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. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. Even with the most basic of lifestyles compared to todays standards, the per capita footprint of our ancestors would have been large. Forest transition theory and the reforesting of Scotland. Why? Global Environmental Change, 56, 1-10. 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%. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. 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. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. Agricultural and urban land: The UN FAO Statistical database provides data on global agricultural and urban land from 1961 onwards. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. Since year-to-year changes in forest cover can be volatile, the UN FAO provide this annual data averaged over five-year periods. This is shortly after the end of the last great ice age, through to the present day.2. Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. 71% of this is driven by demand in domestic markets, and the remaining 29% for the production of products that are traded. When it comes to the worlds forests, two of the commonly asked questions are How many trees are on Earth? and How many trees are cut down each year? By the 19th century the forest area was reduced to a third of what it once was. University of Chicago Press. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. In a previous article I showed that the types of food you eat matter much more for your carbon footprint than where it comes from this is because transport usually makes up a small percentage of your foods emissions, even if it comes from the other side of the world. Tropical forests are often more productive than temperate forests, meaning they store more carbon. In the map we see the net deforestation embedded in trade for each country. Many farmers rely on international buyers to earn a living and improve their livelihoods. But the magnitude of these impacts are often less than the complete conversion of forest. Forestry production and wildfires usually result in forest degradation the forest experiences short-term disturbance but if left alone is likely to regrow. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Although there is some year-to-year variability [you can explore the data use the timeline on the bottom of the chart from 2005 to 2013] we see a reasonably consistent divide: most countries across Europe and North America are net importers of deforestation i.e. The consumption choices of people in these countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the world. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). Curtis, P. G., Slay, C. M., Harris, N. L., Tyukavina, A., & Hansen, M. C. (2018). How many trees are cut down each year?. At the end of this stage, countries are approaching the transition point. This shifting agriculture category can be difficult to allocate between deforestation and degradation: it often requires close monitoring over time to understand how permanent these agricultural practices are. Deforestation rates accelerated. 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. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. They also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, 753-765. As we covered in a previous article, 60% of tropical deforestation is driven by beef, soybean and palm oil production. Less than one-third (29%) is for the production of goods that are traded. Africas emissions are high because people are clearing forests to produce more food. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. The net change in forest cover measures any gains in forest cover either through natural forest expansion or afforestation through tree-planting minus deforestation. The grey line marks where the area of domestic regrowth of forests is exactly equal to imported deforestation. For this reason, data sources including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization tend to aggregate annual losses as the average over five-year or decadal periods. 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. Do rich countries import deforestation from overseas? Since there is often year-to-year variability in deforestation or reforestation rates, this is shown as the five-year average. Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. The global population at this time was small and growing very slowly there were fewer than 50 million people in the world. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. (2012) gathered this data from a range of sources including country submissions as part of their REDD+ readiness activities, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) country profiles, UNFCCC national communications and scientific studies. It feeds into the popular idea that eating local is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., & Kastner, T. (2019). Our World In Data is a project of the Global Change Data Lab, a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1186433). 14% of deforestation is driven by consumers in the worlds richest countries we import beef, vegetable oils, cocoa, coffee and paper that has been produced on deforested land.12. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9825en. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. On balance, they add to the global forest stock. Brazil, in contrast, caused more deforestation domestically in the production of goods for other countries than it imported from elsewhere. Meanwhile, the global population increased by 147% from 3.1 to 7.6 billion.4 This means that agricultural land per person more than halved, from 1.45 to 0.63 hectares. It breaks the change in forests into four stages, explained by two variables: the amount of forest cover a region has, and the annual change in cover (how quickly it is losing or gaining forest).15. How many trees does IKEA cut down a In the map we see their assessment of each countrys stage in the transition. For the past 30 years, temperate regions have seen a continued increase in forest cover through afforestation: you see this as the bars are now positive (pointing upwards). Proactive conservation to prevent habitat losses to agricultural expansion. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. 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. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, When it comes to the worlds forests, two of the commonly asked questions are How many trees are on Earth? and How many trees are cut down each year? Lets take a look at which countries are causing deforestation overseas and the size of this impact. Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. The definition of forest can vary depending on aspects such as tree density and height. Explore palm oil production across the world, and its impacts on the environment. How much deforestation happens every day? (2020).References:FAO and UNEP. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. Cutting them down disrupts or destroys established, species-rich ecosystems. One option is to adopt stricter guidelines on what suppliers to source from, and implementing zero-deforestation policies that stop the trade of goods that have been produced on deforested land. Across the US and Europe the breakdown of products is more varied. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. Deforestation is the complete removal of trees for the conversion of forest to another land use such as agriculture, mining, or towns and cities. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. Africa is also different here. Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. (2017) estimate that the average EU diet, excluding deforestation, is responsible for 0.5 tonnes CO2 per person. Belhaven Press. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Thats around half the size of Germany. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. By Georgina Rannard. Thats like losing an area the size of Portugal every two years. But there are real reasons to believe that this century doesnt have to replicate the destruction of the last one. The world has lost one-third of its forest an area twice the size of the United States. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. See the distribution of global forests and which countries have the most forest cover. As of 2020, the UN estimates the planet is losing over 7,000,000 hectares per year to deforestation.27Between 1990 and 2015, the world lost 129 million hectares of forest an area about the size of South Africa.11 Natural forests lost by continent9include: Africa 3.2 million hectares How much deforestation happens every day? Today, most deforestation occurs in the tropics. It was a net exporter. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Data from 1990 onwards is sourced from the UNs 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020.References:Williams, M. (2003). In the chart we see how the cover of the earths surface has changed over the past 10,000 years. Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. 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. Thats both an economic and environmental win. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. Forest Transitions: why do we lose then regain forests? A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. See which countries are gaining forest though natural forest expansion and afforestation. Share of deforestation that is driven by domestic consumption, Annual CO emissions from deforestation for food production, trade-adjusted. Crowther, T. W., Glick, H. B., Covey, K. R., Bettigole, C., Maynard, D. S., Thomas, S. M., & Tuanmu, M. N. (2015). In China, the biggest driver is demand for oilseeds which is the combination of soy imported from Latin America and palm oil, imported from Indonesia and Malaysia. The number of trees cut down in the Brazilian Amazon in January far exceeded deforestation for the same month last year, according to government satellite data. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. It doesnt capture trees that are cut down in planted forests; the land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest. Imagine some temperate country was responsible for the deforestation of 25,000 hectares in tropical countries but was restoring its own forests at a rate of 50,000 hectares per year. 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.) Thats more than the countrys CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, which are around 2.2 tonnes per person. 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. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. Please consult our full legal disclaimer. Deforesting the earth: from prehistory to global crisis. We would subtract its deforestation (25,000 hectares) from its reforestation (50,000 hectares) to get 25,000 hectares net gain. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. Over half of the worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in a single country. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? Available here. 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. Land, 9(5), 129. Firstly, international trade does play a role in deforestation its responsible for almost one-third of emissions. How many trees are cut down each year?. 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