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Conserving the world’s forests can generate multiple climate benefits by preventing the release of their large carbon stores into the atmosphere, safeguarding their ability to continue sequestering carbon, and, for tropical forests, maintaining the biophysical mechanisms that help to cool the planet. To help secure these benefits, the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration has established the collective goal of halting forest loss—which includes reaching zero gross deforestation—by 2030.  
The world permanently lost at least 5.8 million hectares (Mha) of forests in 2022, with some estimating that the loss was even higher at 6.6 Mha. Global deforestation increased slightly compared to 2021. Should current trends continue, the world will fail to halt permanent forest loss by 2030. The annual rate of gross deforestation instead must fall by nearly 1 Mha each year throughout the rest of this decade to deliver on the GLD’s goal.

 

Deforestation and the trajectory to the 2030 goal (with and without areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires)

Why do we provide two estimates of deforestation?

Deforestation is defined as the permanent conversion of natural forest cover to new, non-forest land uses. Different global data and methods can be used to approximate deforestation, though none perfectly captures trends in permanent forest loss.

Here, we provide two estimates resulting from two different methodologies. Both use a combination of datasets available on Global Forest Watch and estimate deforestation as the areas of tree cover loss where the dominant driver is the production of commodities (namely large-scale agriculture and pastures, and mining), urbanization, or the expansion of shifting agriculture in humid tropical primary forests.

However, the two methodologies treat the presence of fires differently. Tree cover loss from fire includes both natural and human-ignited fires where fire was the direct cause of loss (e.g., does not include burning of felled trees), and can be temporary in nature or lead to permanent land use change.

To illustrate this point, one methodology—described in the State of Climate Action 2023—excludes all tree cover loss due to fire that occurs within the areas described above, while the other methodology—described in the 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment—does not.

While neither of the resulting estimates can be considered perfectly accurate, each serves as an effort to present a realistic depiction of global deforestation trends.

 

Deforestation (including areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires)

When including areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires, the Forest Declaration Assessment finds that deforestation occurred across 6.6 Mha worldwide in 2022. This represents a 4% increase compared to 2021.

 

Deforestation (excluding areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires)

When excluding areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires, the State of Climate Action 2023 finds that 5.8 Mha of deforestation occurred globally in 2022—a 7% increase relative to 2021.

Conserving the world’s forests can generate multiple climate benefits by preventing the release of their large carbon stores into the atmosphere, safeguarding their ability to continue sequestering carbon, and, for tropical forests, maintaining the biophysical mechanisms that help to cool the planet. To help secure these benefits, the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration has established the collective goal of halting forest loss—which includes reaching zero gross deforestation—by 2030.  
The world permanently lost at least 5.8 million hectares (Mha) of forests in 2022, with some estimating that the loss was even higher at 6.6 Mha. Global deforestation increased slightly compared to 2021. Should current trends continue, the world will fail to halt permanent forest loss by 2030. The annual rate of gross deforestation instead must fall by nearly 1 Mha each year throughout the rest of this decade to deliver on the GLD’s goal.

 

Deforestation and the trajectory to the 2030 goal (with and without areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires)

Why do we provide two estimates of deforestation?

Deforestation is defined as the permanent conversion of natural forest cover to new, non-forest land uses. Different global data and methods can be used to approximate deforestation, though none perfectly captures trends in permanent forest loss.

Here, we provide two estimates resulting from two different methodologies. Both use a combination of datasets available on Global Forest Watch and estimate deforestation as the areas of tree cover loss where the dominant driver is the production of commodities (namely large-scale agriculture and pastures, and mining), urbanization, or the expansion of shifting agriculture in humid tropical primary forests.

However, the two methodologies treat the presence of fires differently. Tree cover loss from fire includes both natural and human-ignited fires where fire was the direct cause of loss (e.g., does not include burning of felled trees), and can be temporary in nature or lead to permanent land use change.

To illustrate this point, one methodology—described in the State of Climate Action 2023—excludes all tree cover loss due to fire that occurs within the areas described above, while the other methodology—described in the 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment—does not.

While neither of the resulting estimates can be considered perfectly accurate, each serves as an effort to present a realistic depiction of global deforestation trends.

 

Deforestation (including areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires)

When including areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires, the Forest Declaration Assessment finds that deforestation occurred across 6.6 Mha worldwide in 2022. This represents a 4% increase compared to 2021.

 

Deforestation (excluding areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires)

When excluding areas of tree cover loss cleared by fires, the State of Climate Action 2023 finds that 5.8 Mha of deforestation occurred globally in 2022—a 7% increase relative to 2021.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released when the world loses humid tropical primary forests account for a large share of total emissions from deforestation. In 2022, for example, gross emissions from humid tropical primary forest loss totaled 2.7 GtCO2e – an 8.7% increase relative to average annual GHG emissions from 2018 to 2020. To put the scale of these emissions in perspective, global emissions from humid tropical primary forest loss were roughly equivalent to half of the United States’ total GHG emissions in 2022.   

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released when the world loses humid tropical primary forests account for a large share of total emissions from deforestation. In 2022, for example, gross emissions from humid tropical primary forest loss totaled 2.7 GtCO2e – an 8.7% increase relative to average annual GHG emissions from 2018 to 2020. To put the scale of these emissions in perspective, global emissions from humid tropical primary forest loss were roughly equivalent to half of the United States’ total GHG emissions in 2022.   

Stretching across nearly 15 million hectares (Mha) of shoreline globally, mangrove forests are among the world’s most carbon-dense ecosystems, holding at least twice as much carbon per hectare as boreal, temperate, and tropical forests. Due to the carbon density of these ecosystems, the loss of even a small area of mangroves, particularly when their soils are disturbed or dredged, can release an outsized amount of greenhouse gas emissions, relative to other ecosystems.  
Although average annual rates of global gross mangrove loss have slowed dramatically since the late 20th century, they appear to once again be ticking upward. From 1999 to 2019, the world lost an estimated 560,000 hectares (ha) of mangrove forests, with gross losses of these coastal wetlands increasing by an average of nearly 950 hectares per year since 2008. Accordingly, global efforts to halt conversion of mangrove forests have fallen short, and a sharp reversal in action is needed.  

Stretching across nearly 15 million hectares (Mha) of shoreline globally, mangrove forests are among the world’s most carbon-dense ecosystems, holding at least twice as much carbon per hectare as boreal, temperate, and tropical forests. Due to the carbon density of these ecosystems, the loss of even a small area of mangroves, particularly when their soils are disturbed or dredged, can release an outsized amount of greenhouse gas emissions, relative to other ecosystems.  
Although average annual rates of global gross mangrove loss have slowed dramatically since the late 20th century, they appear to once again be ticking upward. From 1999 to 2019, the world lost an estimated 560,000 hectares (ha) of mangrove forests, with gross losses of these coastal wetlands increasing by an average of nearly 950 hectares per year since 2008. Accordingly, global efforts to halt conversion of mangrove forests have fallen short, and a sharp reversal in action is needed.  

Data limitations make it difficult to assess progress made towards the 2030 goal of halting and reversing forest degradation globally. Here, we rely on two indicators to approximate trends in forest degradation: forest landscape integrity, as estimated by the Forest Landscape Integrity Index (FLII), and tree cover loss within intact forest landscapes. 
The FLII provides the only publicly available annual estimates of forest degradation globally. The FLII tracks changes in forest extent, forest connectivity, direct pressure from human activities, and inferred pressure from edge effects to estimate forest integrity through a FLII score. Higher scores correspond to higher levels of forest integrity, while decreases in FLII scores correspond to an increase in forest degradation. Halting and reversing forest degradation translates into no reduction or an increase of the FLII score at global and at regional level. 
According to FLII data available through 2021, extensive forest degradation has occurred globally and within all regions – including both tropical and non-tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and North America. However, the global rate of degradation appears to have decreased 18% in 2021, relative to the annual average from 2018 to 2020. Though this decline represents welcome news, data limitations make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about whether sufficient progress is being made towards reducing forest degradation globally.  

Data limitations make it difficult to assess progress made towards the 2030 goal of halting and reversing forest degradation globally. Here, we rely on two indicators to approximate trends in forest degradation: forest landscape integrity, as estimated by the Forest Landscape Integrity Index (FLII), and tree cover loss within intact forest landscapes. 
The FLII provides the only publicly available annual estimates of forest degradation globally. The FLII tracks changes in forest extent, forest connectivity, direct pressure from human activities, and inferred pressure from edge effects to estimate forest integrity through a FLII score. Higher scores correspond to higher levels of forest integrity, while decreases in FLII scores correspond to an increase in forest degradation. Halting and reversing forest degradation translates into no reduction or an increase of the FLII score at global and at regional level. 
According to FLII data available through 2021, extensive forest degradation has occurred globally and within all regions – including both tropical and non-tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and North America. However, the global rate of degradation appears to have decreased 18% in 2021, relative to the annual average from 2018 to 2020. Though this decline represents welcome news, data limitations make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about whether sufficient progress is being made towards reducing forest degradation globally.