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. 
Intact forest landscapes are mosaics of forested and naturally treeless ecosystems that show very few signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation. Occupying a minimum area of 50,000 hectares, they are large enough to play a critical role in helping to maintain native biodiversity. Accordingly, these ecosystems are hotspots for biodiversity and contain large carbon stores. Reducing tree cover loss within these natural terrestrial ecosystems is a key part of halting forest loss and land degradation by 2030.  
Yet, annual rates of tree cover loss across these intact forest landscapes have been on the rise since 2001. In 2022 alone, 3.9 million hectares were lost – a 19% increase relative to average annual losses from 2018 to 2022. Though not all tree cover loss is permanent, the increasing trend likely indicates more degradation and fragmentation of these ecosystems, as well as a rise in human activity. Efforts to address tree cover loss in intact forest landscapes must be accelerated, urgently and rapidly, to reverse this concerning trend. 

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. 
Intact forest landscapes are mosaics of forested and naturally treeless ecosystems that show very few signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation. Occupying a minimum area of 50,000 hectares, they are large enough to play a critical role in helping to maintain native biodiversity. Accordingly, these ecosystems are hotspots for biodiversity and contain large carbon stores. Reducing tree cover loss within these natural terrestrial ecosystems is a key part of halting forest loss and land degradation by 2030.  
Yet, annual rates of tree cover loss across these intact forest landscapes have been on the rise since 2001. In 2022 alone, 3.9 million hectares were lost – a 19% increase relative to average annual losses from 2018 to 2022. Though not all tree cover loss is permanent, the increasing trend likely indicates more degradation and fragmentation of these ecosystems, as well as a rise in human activity. Efforts to address tree cover loss in intact forest landscapes must be accelerated, urgently and rapidly, to reverse this concerning trend.