Global Deforestation
This section is intended to collect data on the current status of global deforestation. This is accomplished through the utilization of APIs, databases, news sources, MapBuilders, and academic journals.
Global forest loss map
Credits: University of Maryland, department of geographical sciences.
Results from time-series analysis of Landsat images characterizing forest extent and change.
Trees are defined as vegetation taller than 5m in height and are expressed as a percentage per output grid cell as ‘2000 Percent Tree Cover’. ‘Forest Cover Loss’ is defined as a stand-replacement disturbance, or a change from a forest to non-forest state, during the period 2000–2019. ‘Forest Cover Gain’ is defined as the inverse of loss, or a non-forest to forest change entirely within the period 2000–2012. ‘Forest Loss Year’ is a disaggregation of total ‘Forest Loss’ to annual time scales.
Reference 2000 and 2019 imagery are median observations from a set of quality assessment-passed growing season observations.
News List
Environmental impact of firewood burning needs to be studied, say experts
With firewood increasingly being used as an alternative to cooking gas amid the ongoing LPG shortage, experts point out that increased firewood consumption could contribute to higher levels of carbon emissions and pollution, raising environmental con... [2601 chars]
Deforestation and El Nino increase Indonesia haze risk
– Indonesia is facing an increased risk of forest fires in 2026, driven not only by the predicted El Nino weather phenomenon but also by a surge in deforestation that has reached its highest rate in nearly 10 years, according to Jakarta-based environ... [7844 chars]
Brazil Banks Enlist to Combat Deforestation
In a bold move to battle deforestation, Brazil is turning to an unlikely ally: bank managers. Under a new policy effective Wednesday, banks are required to verify if applicants for rural loans have any deforestation on their farms. This is achieved u... [620 chars]
Brazil enlists bank managers to combat deforestation
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO, April 1 (Reuters) - After struggling for years to track and punish deforestation across the world's largest rainforest, Brazil is recruiting new allies in the battle to protect the Amazon: bank managers.
A new rule taking effect o... [4440 chars]
Deforestation in Indonesia Skyrockets Amid Self-Sufficiency Push
Indonesia's deforestation rate surged by 66% in 2025, marking its highest level in eight years, according to an environmental group. The increase is blamed on insufficient environmental safeguards and a push for food and energy self-sufficiency.
The ... [562 chars]
How Mumbai Is Being Engineered Towards Ecological Risk Amid Mega Infra Push And Urban Expansion Plans
The facts are scattered around us. Join them as you would join dots on a paper, and a pattern emerges about Mumbai’s development. It points to a disquieting evaluation which, then, raises critical questions about the future of the city, once Urbs Pri... [6232 chars]
Quote of the Day by Wangari Maathai: “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope.”
Synopsis
“When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope,” Wangari Maathai’s quote, reflects her lifelong commitment to environmental restoration and social harmony. As a Kenyan activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maathai fou... [7157 chars]
Clear cut solution: Kingston enacts temporary bylaw to halt deforestation
The City of Kingston is taking swift action to ban the clear cutting of trees within its geographical borders without advance municipal approval, even for agricultural reasons.
Kingston City Council approved a rare temporary bylaw at its Tuesday, Mar... [5351 chars]
Planet Money : NPR
When you come across a book at a yard sale or a bookstore, you might pay more attention to the words between the covers than the physical form of the book itself. But content and the form are both crucial to a book’s success. Each book you pull off t... [1138 chars]
News API sources: NewsCatcher & GNews