Deforestation by continent

Rates and causes of deforestation change depending on where you are in the world. In 2009, most of the world's forests were found in just ten countries: Russia, Brazil, Canada, the United States, China, Australia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, India, and Peru.

Each year, around 13.7 million hectares of forest are lost globally — an area about the size of Greece. Some of this loss is from human activities, while climate change also affects growing forests. Though there are agreements like the Kyoto Protocol to help stop deforestation, specific actions to follow these rules are not clearly set.

The loss of tree cover around the world has increased greatly since 2001. Today, we lose an area of trees about the size of Italy every year. Brazil, home to much of the Amazon rainforest, has lost more of its old, untouched forests than any other country.

Africa

By 2008, forests in Africa were disappearing faster than anywhere else in the world, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Some areas, like West Africa, have lost almost all of their original forests. Today, the loss of trees is speeding up in Central Africa. Africa lost the largest share of its tropical forests during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.

Many African countries depend on wood for heat and cooking, which adds to the problem. Some places also struggle with people using forests for farming and building. This has hurt the land and made it harder for some areas to get enough food.

Asia

Russia has the most forest land of any country, with around 12 million km² of forest, bigger than the Amazon rainforest. These forests are very important because they hold a lot of the world's trees and plant life. But about 20,000 km² of forest is lost each year, especially near China where timber is taken for building and other uses.

Southeast Asia has many forests that are home to many different plants and animals, but they are being cut down quickly. Countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia are losing their forests at a fast rate. In Indonesia, much of the forest has already been cut, and at current rates, some areas could lose all their forests in just a few years.

Europe

Europe has lost more than half of its forests over the past 6,000 years. This loss happened mainly because people needed land for farming and wood for fuel. Satellite data shows that the loss of forest materials in EU forests grew by 69% between 2016 and 2018, compared to the years 2011 to 2015.

Finland

Iceland

Before people arrived in Iceland, about 40% of the land was covered in trees. Today, only about 2% of Iceland has trees. The Icelandic Forest Service is working to plant more trees and help forests grow back naturally. When people first settled Iceland around 1,150 years ago, they cut down trees and burned land to make space for farms and grazing animals. This cutting of trees continued until the middle of the 1900s. Although some areas have been replanted, farming prevented forests from growing back in many places.

Ireland

Ireland used to have lots of trees, with about 80% of the land covered in forest. People began cutting down trees thousands of years ago, and this increased greatly when British rulers took control. They removed forests to create farms and to get wood for building ships. By the early 1900s, only 1.5% of Ireland had trees. Since then, the Irish government has helped plant more trees, and today about 12% of Ireland has tree cover, although this is still much lower than the European average of 39%.

Italy

Sicily is a well-known example of forests being removed by people over many years, starting in Roman times when the land was used for farming. This continued to today, changing the climate and causing rivers to dry up. Now, many parts of central and southwest Sicily have very few forests left, which has also affected the animals that once lived there.

Netherlands

The Netherlands once had forests and marshes, but these areas have been changed over time. Today, the remaining forests and marshes are carefully looked after by staatsbosbeheer, the state forest management, and protected by the government. Many national parks and protected areas have been created to help keep these spaces safe.

Russia

United Kingdom

Main article: Deforestation in the United Kingdom

Almost all of the forests in the United Kingdom have been changed into fields over many years. As of 2021, about 13.2% of the UK, or 3.2 million hectares, is covered with trees. This is more than in 1998, but many of these new trees are not native to the area. Most people in the UK now picture a calm, open landscape instead of real forests.

North America

Central America

Main article: Deforestation in Central America

Many Central American countries have seen forests disappear and grow back over time. By the year 1500, forests covered about 500,000 square kilometres, or 90% of the land, before Europeans arrived. Later, the need for land to grow products for trade led to more forests being cleared. Since the 1960s, raising cattle for meat has been the biggest reason for clearing land, especially to supply North American restaurants.

Northern America

Canada

In 2005, about 56,000 hectares of forest were lost in Canada. This made up less than 0.02% of all Canadian forests. Most of this loss was for farming land, with other reasons including cities growing, building roads, and creating parks. About two-thirds of the lost forest was in a special area called the boreal forest, mainly in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

British Columbia

United States

Main article: Deforestation in the United States

In the year 1600, before many Europeans arrived, about half of what is now the United States was covered in forests. Over the next 300 years, forests were cleared to make space for farms as the population grew. This continued until the 1920s, when the amount of farm land stopped growing even though the population kept increasing. Since 1963, the amount of forest land has slowly decreased, except for some small increases in 1997.

Oceania

Australia

Main article: Land clearing in Australia

Australia has lost a lot of its forests because people cleared land for farming. Since people first arrived, about half of the rainforests and more than a third of all forests have disappeared. Rules made in 2007 were meant to help slow this down. Forests are also disappearing because cities are growing bigger, especially near the coast.

New Zealand

Main article: Deforestation in New Zealand

Over the past 800 years, New Zealand has lost about three-quarters of its forests. First, people burned many forests. Later, trees were cut down for wood. Since the year 2000, cutting down trees on public land has stopped. On private land, people need special permission to cut trees down.

Papua New Guinea

Main article: Deforestation in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea has huge rainforests. In 2007, a lot of trees were cut down illegally, with most timber being sold abroad.

South America

Amazon Rainforest

Brazil

Main article: Deforestation in Brazil

The rate of deforestation in Brazil increased by 72% during the time of a certain leader, which changed a trend from earlier years that focused on protecting forests. Many believe that expanding farms and fields is a big reason for cutting down trees. When prices for crops like soybeans go up, more forests may be cut. A new type of soybean has caused some farms to move deeper into the forest. Some areas, like the Atlantic Rainforest, have lost most of their trees. While there are protected areas, not all are well managed. Much of the logging in the Amazon happens without permission.

Bolivia

Chile

Even though today the Atacama Desert seems empty, long ago a flat area called Pampa del Tamarugal had trees. The need for wood to help with mining caused many trees to be cut down. Efforts to plant new trees in Pampa del Tamarugal started in 1963, and since 1987, these areas are protected in the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve.

Colombia

Peru