"Forest clearing" redirects here. For a gap in a forest, see Glade (geography).
"Deforest" redirects here. For other uses, see DeForest (disambiguation).
For "deforestation" in computer science, see Deforestation (computer science).
Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil's Maranhão state, 2016Deforestation in Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia to make way for an oil palm plantation in 2007.Deforestation in the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, 2009
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use.[1] Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. About 31% of Earth's land surface is covered by forests at present.[2] This is one-third less than the forest cover before the expansion of agriculture, with half of that loss occurring in the last century.[3] Between 15 million to 18 million hectares of forest, an area the size of Bangladesh, are destroyed every year. On average 2,400 trees are cut down each minute.[4] Estimates vary widely as to the extent of deforestation in the tropics.[5][6] In 2019, nearly a third of the overall tree cover loss, or 3.8 million hectares, occurred within humid tropical primary forests. These are areas of mature rainforest that are especially important for biodiversity and carbon storage.[7][8]
The direct cause of most deforestation is agriculture by far.[9] More than 80% of deforestation was attributed to agriculture in 2018.[10] Forests are being converted to plantations for coffee, palm oil, rubber and various other popular products.[11] Livestock grazing also drives deforestation. Further drivers are the wood industry (logging), urbanization and mining. The effects of climate change are another cause via the increased risk of wildfires (see deforestation and climate change).
Deforestation results in habitat destruction which in turn leads to biodiversity loss. Deforestation also leads to extinction of animals and plants, changes to the local climate, and displacement of indigenous people who live in forests. Deforested regions often also suffer from other environmental problems such as desertification and soil erosion.
Another problem is that deforestation reduces the uptake of carbon dioxide (carbon sequestration) from the atmosphere. This reduces the potential of forests to assist with climate change mitigation. The role of forests in capturing and storing carbon and mitigating climate change is also important for the agricultural sector.[12] The reason for this linkage is because the effects of climate change on agriculture pose new risks to global food systems.[12]
^SAFnet Dictionary|Definition For [deforestation] Archived 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Dictionary of forestry.org (29 July 2008). Retrieved 15 May 2011.
^Deforestation | Threats | WWF. Worldwildlife.org. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
^Ritchie, Hannah; Roser, Max (9 February 2021). "Forests and Deforestation". Our World in Data.
^"On Water". European Investment Bank. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
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^ abThe State of the World's Forests 2020. Forests, biodiversity and people – In brief. Rome: FAO & UNEP. 2020. doi:10.4060/ca8985en. ISBN 978-92-5-132707-4. S2CID 241416114.
carbon storage. The direct cause of most deforestation is agriculture by far. More than 80% of deforestation was attributed to agriculture in 2018. Forests...
the rate of deforestation continued to increase to an estimated 840,000 hectares in 2012, surpassing deforestation in Brazil. Deforestation in Indonesia...
annual deforestation is estimated to total 13.7 million hectares a year, similar to the area of Greece. Half of the area experiencing deforestation consists...
isolated. Large scale deforestation is occurring in the forest, creating different harmful effects. Economic losses due to deforestation in Brazil could be...
greenhouse gas inventories give similar results for deforestation emissions. As of 2019[update], deforestation is responsible for about 11% of global greenhouse...
cause of deforestation, accounting for about 80% of all deforestation in the region. This makes it the world's largest single driver of deforestation, contributing...
Conference, 67 ministers signed up to help achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. Due to deforestation the Amazon was a net emitter of greenhouse gas in the...
countries, notably Brazil, have declared their deforestation a national emergency. Amazon deforestation jumped by 69% in 2008 compared to 2007's twelve...
infrastructure development contribute to deforestation and present various challenges against afforestation efforts. Deforestation in Nigeria has raised concerns...
forest loss, where world annual deforestation is estimated as 13.7 million hectares (34×10^6 acres) a year. Deforestation started with the growth of agriculture...
of 2014. The deforestation rate of Myanmar has declined from 0.95% per year in the years 1990–2010 to about 0.3% per year and deforestation in Myanmar is...
Mining has also contributed to deforestation, particularly in the recent years, representing up to 6% of national deforestation (2017), with large clear cuts...
000 km2). Deforestation affects biodiversity in the Philippines and has long-term negative impacts on the country's food production. Deforestation in the...
drinks and oils. West Africa is greatly affected by deforestation and has one of worst deforestation rate. Even "the beloved baobab tree" which is viewed...
of Agent Orange in Vietnam Deforestation in Laos Deforestation in Cambodia Butler, Rhett A. "Nigeria has worst deforestation rate, FAO revises figures"...
direct outcome of socioeconomic systems. Deforestation is a major cause of environmental change. Deforestation can be attributed to population growth,...
This amounts to an average annual deforestation rate of 1.90%. However, between 2000 and 2005, the rate of deforestation decreased by 28.9% to 1.35% per...
land area, but deforestation is an increasingly pressing issue, resulting in forests disappearing quickly. The rate of deforestation in the country accelerated...
Deforestation in Borneo has taken place on an industrial scale since the 1960s. Borneo, the third largest island in the world, divided between Indonesia...
Deforestation in Thailand refers to the conversion of its forested land to other uses. Deforestation numbers are inexact due to the scope of the issue...
still similar to its long history of deforestation. Some of the current drivers that are increasing deforestation categorize into technological, economic...
The main causes of deforestation in Ethiopia are shifting agriculture, livestock production and fuel in drier areas. Deforestation is the process of removing...
Deforestation in Haiti is a complex and intertwined environmental and social problem. The most-recent national research on charcoal estimates that approximately...
2015[update], the country has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. Deforestation has directly resulted from poorly managed commercial logging...
April 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013. "Deforestation: Mobilising resources to help achieve zero net deforestation by 2020". Consumer Goods Forum. Archived...
rate of deforestation in the world between the 1960s to 1970s. The so-called "hamburger connection" has been the leading cause of deforestation in the...
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