STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014
28
depending on the methods used to monitor, and the definition of
‘forest’. Only a few rainforest countries, notably Brazil, have had
reliable and transparent monitoring and reporting systems long
enough for trend to be visible, but more countries are improving their
systems.
12
However, it seems clear that the significant reduction
in deforestation achieved in Brazil since 2005 is not matched by
similar long-term trends in other major countries. According to
some sources,
13
increased deforestation in other tropical regions,
both rainforest and dry tropical forest, more than outweighs the
gains in Brazil.
According to a University of Maryland study,
14
the loss of tropical
forest was 1.1 million km
2
in the period 2000–2012. This equals an
area about three times the size of Norway. Looking at the figures for
dense tropical rainforest only (above 76% tree cover), we find that
the tropical rainforest in South America was reduced by 4.2%, in
Asia by 12.5%
15
and in Africa by 2.8% from 2000 to 2012.
The FAO’s Forest Resources Assessment
16
reports global deforestation
to be 130,000 km
2
/year for 2000–2010, with most of this taking
place in tropical forests. This figure includes more than 40,000 km
2
Thousand square kilometres
Forest extent (FAO)
Thousand square kilometres
*University of Mariland
Tropical Africa
Tropical South America
Tropical Asia
1990
2000
2010
Shrinking tropical forests
0
2 000
4 000
6 000
8 000
Forest loss
2000-2012
(UMD* 76-100%
forest cover)
From 2000 to 2012 the
tropical forests for this three
regions have decreased by an
area as big as Spain
Source: Based on Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA; FAO & JRC 2012-2014
0 50 100 150 200 250
0 50 100 150 200 250
0 50 100 150 200 250
Deforestation according to FAO
The FAO’s Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (FRA 2010) reports
global gross deforestation to be 130,000 km
2
annually for the
decade 2000–2010, and 160,000 km
2
for the previous decade
1990–2000. Out of this, forest in ‘rainforest basins’ (using a wider
definition than used in this report) lost on average 63,000 km
2
annually (1990–2010). Other studies, and recently also a remote
sensing study by FAO and JRC indicates that the deforestation rates
reported by FRA 2010, although dramatic, may be too optimistic.
The remote sensing study by FAO and the European Commission
Joint Research Centre JRC reports that global gross deforestation
(reduction in ‘forest land use’) over the 1990–2010 period was
155,000 km
2
per year. The tropical forest area was reduced by
1.3 million km
2
in the same two decades, and as this figure is
net change the deforestation figure would be even higher if one
excluded plantations.
Tropical forests are shrinking rapidly – but how fast?
Deforestation according to the University of Maryland-study
In late 2013, researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD), led
by Matt Hansen, published a study on global forest cover and
forest cover change in Science. This data is used as the basis for
the comprehensive forest monitoring base “Global forest Watch”,
which was recently launched:
There are important differences in methodology between FAO and
UMD. One difference is that UMD registers tree cover at the time
of registration, whereas FAO also considers the land use category
– the purpose for which the area is used, for instance agriculture
or forestry. The total loss of forest in the tropical climate domain
2000–2012 was 1.105.786 km
2
according to UMD, or an average
of 92.000 km
2
/year in the tropical forest zone. The loss 2000–
2012 equals more than three times the size of Norway.
Sources: FAO FRA 2010, FAO 2011, FAO&JRC 2012; 2014, Hansen
et al
2013
