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
Brazilian rancher ordered to pay $50m for damage to Amazon
A Brazilian cattle rancher has been ordered to pay more than $50m (£39m) for destroying part of the Amazon rainforest and ordered to restore the precious carbon sink.
Last week, a federal court in Brazil froze the assets of Dirceu Kruger to pay compe... [5662 chars]
Earth's Hottest Day in 84 Years: A Climate Crisis
The Earth experienced its hottest day in at least 84 years on July 22, with the global average temperature reaching a record high of 17.15 degrees Celsius, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
This exceeded the p... [4333 chars]
Brazil to allow miles of selective logging in effort to preserve the Amazon
Open this photo in gallery: Timber from a woodmill sits next to the jungle near Vila Nova Samuel, Brazil, in 2019.Victor R. Caivano/The Associated Press
To combat ongoing destruction in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil announced a plan Tuesday to dramat... [4077 chars]
India's Forest Growth Makes Global Impact: FAO Report
India has emerged as a global leader in forest growth, gaining 2,66,000 hectares of forest area annually from 2010 to 2020 and securing the third spot among the top 10 countries with the most significant forest area gains, according to a new report b... [750 chars]
Counter-drug strategies in Central America are worsening deforestation, threatening many species of birds
Activities associated with cocaine trafficking threaten two-thirds of the most important landscapes in Central America for 196 forest bird species, including 67 migratory species. This is the key takeaway from a study that colleagues and I published ... [4097 chars]
Footage Shows Uncontacted Tribe In Peru Emerging From Jungle Amid Deforestation Threat
> Culture
One of the world's most isolated tribes could soon lose their habitat. The Mashco Piro tribe was spotted near the banks of Las Piedras river in the Peruvian Amazon recently and visuals of them are going viral.
The videos were released by th... [1919 chars]
‘Just give me 30 men and a few arms’: Honduran Indigenous groups ready to fight to save land
Avilés Morphy pulled out his mobile phone and swiped through the photos until he reached a shot showing fallen trees in what looked like the aftermath of a hurricane. “That was a big forest and look how it is now: everything’s been destroyed,” he say... [7244 chars]
Amazon deforestation cut by 83% in places protected by Indigenous communities - new research
Although deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon have halved, it is still losing more than 5,000km² every year. That’s an area three times larger than Greater London.
By combining satellite imagery for the entire Amazon region with data from the ... [4390 chars]
Deforestation in Colombia falls to lowest level in 23 years
Deforestation in Colombia fell sharply in 2023 to its lowest level in 23 years, the country’s environment ministry has said.
The amount of forest loss fell from 1,235 sq km in 2022 to 792 sq km in 2023 – a 36% decrease, official figures revealed.
Mos... [3181 chars]