STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014
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of primary tropical forest lost annually. According to a 2012 remote-
sensing study by FAO,
17
the extent of tropical forest was reduced by
500,000 km
2
from 2000 to 2005.
The causes of deforestation and historical patterns of forest loss
vary between regions. The tropical rainforests of the Amazon,
much of Southeast Asia and Africa were still largely intact until the
1970s, unlike in Mesoamerica and South Asia where widespread
deforestation and forest degradation had already taken place.
18
‘Intact forest’ does not mean that there has been no human
impact (see section 1). Human settlements have been present in
the world’s rainforests throughout much of human history, and
in all regions scientists find traces of human interaction with the
forest environment thousands of years ago. However, the rapid and
extensive tropical deforestation and extinction of species of recent
decades is unprecedented in human history, and threatens global
prospects of development.
The Amazon represents more than 60% of the world’s rainforest.
The recent sharp reduction in deforestation in Brazil has a clear
impact on the deforestation rate for the whole Amazon region,
which consists of nine countries.
19
According to FAO,
20
Ecuador – a
relatively small country, but with extremely high biodiversity –
has experienced a dramatic rate of deforestation, with 1.8% lost
annually from 2000 to 2010.
21
According to other sources
22
Colombia
has higher deforestation than Ecuador (see section 3). In Asia,
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea have the largest remaining tracts
of rainforest, sharing between them the unique rainforest island
of New Guinea. The rate of deforestation in Papua New Guinea is
reported to be stable (~0.48% annually), but extensive plans for
logging, oil palm plantations and extractive industries threaten
this trend. Indonesia is the country where most rainforest is being
lost, but the rate of deforestation is contested (see Asia section).
23
In the Congo Basin the picture is mixed. The DRC, with 54% of the
region’s rainforest, has maintained a moratorium on new logging
concessions, and there are some signs of changes in forest policy
to the advantage of local forest communities. Still, the gradual
fragmentation and degradation of Congo Basin forests continue
due to a complex set of drivers, and most studies indicate that
deforestation is set to increase as a consequence of agricultural
and plantation expansion, mining and other extractive industries.
Some of the closest neighbouring countries of the main rainforest
nations in the Congo Basin, such as Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda,
have deforestation rates that are among the highest in the world.
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In Southeast Asia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam (countries
with both rainforest and dryer tropical forest), have very high
deforestation; and in South America, Paraguay’s Grand Chaco dry
tropical forest has deforestation rates that rank among the world’s
highest, directly threatening the livelihood of indigenous peoples.
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