From Brazil to Russia, deforestation around the world in three maps
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
Maps based on Global Forest Watch data provide a snapshot of forest cover around the world and of deforestation.
From Brazil to Russia, deforestation around the world in three maps
Maps based on Global Forest Watch data provide a snapshot of forest cover around the world and of deforestation.
The online platform Global Forest Watch (GFW) offers access to near-real-time data capable of ensuring constant, up-to-date monitoring of the state of forests (and of deforestation) around the world. The data indicate that forest cover in tropical areas lost something in the order of 12.2 million hectares during 2020. Of these, 4.2 million hectares consist of tropical moist forests, which are particularly important not only for the absorption of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere by human activities, but also for the biodiversity they are able to support. The area lost is equivalent to the surface area of the Netherlands. Even more worrying, however, is that this figure is 12 per cent higher than that recorded in 2019.
Deforestation and the loss of primary forests
The first of the maps we present, based on GFW data, shows in pink the tree loss recorded in 2020. In green, by contrast, is the area that features in particular primary forests. The overlay makes it easy to see how a share of the deforestation has affected precisely this type of vegetation.
The largest overall tree loss was recorded in Russia
Breaking down GFW deforestation data by country, it becomes clear that Russia recorded the greatest loss during 2020. Brazil comes second and, again unsurprisingly, Australia third. In the latter, as in Siberia and the Amazon rainforest, devastating fires have followed one after another, contributing — alongside the "needs" of the agricultural sector and livestock farming — to the disappearance of trees and other vegetation.
From mangroves to primary forests: the cover map
Global Forest Watch also offers a comprehensive overview broken down by vegetation type. In the third map, light green indicates forest cover of every kind. Dark green denotes primary forest, and teal, along the coastlines, indicates mangrove forests.