State of the World’s Forests 2024: Global efforts curb deforestation, but threats to forests from wildfires and pests remain
- July 27, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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State of the World’s Forests 2024: Global efforts curb deforestation, but threats to forests from wildfires and pests remain
Sub: Env
Sec: Eco system
State of the World’s Forests Report:
- The FAO released a report on July 22, 2024, highlighting both relief and concern regarding global forests.
- The rate of deforestation has slowed, but climate change continues to pose significant threats.
Deforestation and Forest Cover:
- Global forest cover in 2020 was approximately 4.1 billion hectares, with major contributions from Russia, Brazil, Canada, the USA, and China.
- From 1990 to 2020, around 420 million hectares of forest were converted to other land uses.
- Deforestation rates decreased from 15.8 million hectares per year (1990-2002) to 10.2 million hectares per year (2015-2020).
Regional Trends in Deforestation:
- Africa, South America, and Asia had the highest deforestation rates, with Africa losing 4.41 million hectares annually.
- Several countries, including China, Australia, and India, recorded gains in forest area in 2020.
- Indonesia saw an 8.4% decrease in deforestation in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21, the lowest since 1990.
- Brazil reported a 50% reduction in deforestation in the Legal Amazon region in 2023.
Mangroves and Their Resilience:
- The global mangrove area was 14.8 million hectares, with South and Southeast Asia contributing nearly 44%.
- Gross global mangrove loss decreased by 23% between 2000-2020.
- Natural expansion of mangroves exceeded the loss to natural causes, indicating resilience.
Impact of Fires and Climate Change
- An estimated 340-370 million hectares of land are impacted by fires annually, with 383 million hectares affected in 2023.
- The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires are contributing significantly to global carbon dioxide emissions.
- Boreal fires in 2021 accounted for about 10% of global carbon emissions.
Threats from Pests and Diseases
- Forests are threatened by pests like the pine wood nematode, which caused significant damage in China, Japan, and South Korea.
- The USA faces potential losses exceeding 20% of host tree basal area over 25 million hectares by 2027 due to insects and disease.
- Monitoring of forest degradation and pest outbreaks is still in its early stages, making it difficult to quantify economic impacts.
Source: DTE