Paraguay – Argentina border
Ten hectares of the world’s forests are destroyed every minute, amounting to 4.9 million hectares a year. Between 1990 and 2005, 72.9 million hectares of forest vanished. Forests cover a total surface area of 3.69 billion hectares, or 30% of the Earth’s land mass.
These are the latest figures published by the FAO on 30 November 2011, which also reveal that the rate of net loss of forested land is speeding up, rising from 4.1 million hectares between 1990 and 2000 to 6.4 million hectares between 2000 and 2005.
These are the latest figures published by the FAO on 30 November 2011, which also reveal that the rate of net loss of forested land is speeding up, rising from 4.1 million hectares between 1990 and 2000 to 6.4 million hectares between 2000 and 2005.
A new satellite
data survey published by the FAO on 30 November 2011 provides a more accurate
picture of the changes that have affected the world’s forests, showing
a decline in the use of forested land between 1990 and 2005.
The results of the global remote sensing survey show that the total forested area in 2005 covered 3.69 billion hectares, or 30% of the Earth’s land mass.
The global deforestation rate was 14.5 million hectares a year between 1990 and 2005.
The net loss of forests – measured taking into account the areas of forest loss that are partially offset by reforestation or the natural expansion of the forest mantle – was 72.9 million hectares. In other words, the Earth has lost 4.9 million hectares of forest a year, or nearly 10 hectares of forest a minute, over the space of 15 years.
Forest loss between 1990 and 2005 was greater in the tropics, where just under half the world’s forested land is found. Net losses in this region were on average 6 million hectares a year between 1990 and 2005. The highest rate of conversion of forested land to other, unspecified uses was recorded for both periods in South America and Africa.
Asia is the only region to have recorded net gains in forested area in both periods. The extensive reforestation programme in this region (mainly in China) has more than offset the forested areas lost.
The results of the global remote sensing survey show that the total forested area in 2005 covered 3.69 billion hectares, or 30% of the Earth’s land mass.
The global deforestation rate was 14.5 million hectares a year between 1990 and 2005.
The net loss of forests – measured taking into account the areas of forest loss that are partially offset by reforestation or the natural expansion of the forest mantle – was 72.9 million hectares. In other words, the Earth has lost 4.9 million hectares of forest a year, or nearly 10 hectares of forest a minute, over the space of 15 years.
Forest loss between 1990 and 2005 was greater in the tropics, where just under half the world’s forested land is found. Net losses in this region were on average 6 million hectares a year between 1990 and 2005. The highest rate of conversion of forested land to other, unspecified uses was recorded for both periods in South America and Africa.
Asia is the only region to have recorded net gains in forested area in both periods. The extensive reforestation programme in this region (mainly in China) has more than offset the forested areas lost.
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image: Paraguay – Argentina border
Image Landsat-5, courtesy of USGS, acquired on 2 November 2011
Image Landsat-5, courtesy of USGS, acquired on 2 November 2011
The image shows one of the most famous and beautiful areas of South America, the triangle between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. The borders exactly follow the two rivers represented here (the Paraná and Iguazu). The image was produced with the false-colour technique using the infrared bands (RGB=453), which show the vegetated areas (the tropical forest of Argentina) in red. On the right-hand side, it is possible to see an area of Paraguay that has suffered a high rate of deforestation to create agricultural and grazing land.
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image: Paraguay – Argentina border
Image Landsat-5, courtesy of USGS, acquired on 2 November 2011
Image Landsat-5, courtesy of USGS, acquired on 2 November 2011
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