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.