Tropical forest losses rise despite pledge

An area of primary rainforest the size of Switzerland was cleared or burned last year, despite pledges to halt deforestation

TROPICAL PRIMARY FOREST LOSS 2002-22 (millions of hectares)

2021: At COP26 climate meeting 145 world leaders sign Glasgow Declaration on forests, committing to “halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030”

2022: 4.1m lost – 10% more than in 2021
  

4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0
                       
2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

Fire related loss
Non-fire related loss 
Three-year moving average
       

 
TOP COUNTRIES FOR PRIMARY FOREST LOSS IN 2022 
(hectares)

Brazil, D.R. Congo and Bolivia head table, while Indonesia and Malaysia managed to keep rate of loss near record-low levels

D.R. Congo 513,000
Bolivia    386,000
Indonesia  230,000
Peru       161,000
Colombia   128,000
Laos        93,000
Cameroon    76,000
Papua N.G.  75,000
Malaysia    72,000
Others     610,000

Brazil 1,773,000

   
Sources: World Resources Institute, University of Maryland Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS