Deforestation

**Deforestation Overview:**
– Definition: Removal and destruction of forests for non-forest use.
– Main driver: Agriculture.
– Impact: Habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, reduced carbon sequestration.
– Current status: Global forest carbon stock decreased by 0.9% from 1990 to 2020.
– Rates: Human activities reduced forest area by ~30% since 1950.

**Causes and Drivers of Deforestation:**
– Agriculture: Subsistence farming (48%), commercial agriculture (32%).
– Livestock Ranching: Primary driver in the Amazon, responsible for 80% of deforestation.
– Economic Development: Population growth, urbanization, mining, and globalization.
– Wood Industry: Logging contributes significantly to deforestation.
– Mining: Significant cause due to increased mineral demand.

**Impact of Deforestation:**
– Aridity, extinction, and climate change.
– Food security and agricultural land impact.
– Biodiversity loss hampers ecosystem resilience.
– Soil erosion, desertification, and greenhouse gas emissions.
– Loss of forests affects water cycle, weather patterns, and fresh water sources.

**Global Forest Loss and Reforestation Efforts:**
– Global forest area decreased by 3.3 million ha per year from 2010 to 2015.
– Reforestation and afforestation increasing in many parts of the world.
– Asia gained 1 million hectares of forest between 2000 and 2005.
– Forest area increased in 22 of the world’s most forested nations.
– One study projects global forestation to increase by 10% by 2050.

**Regional Impact and Specific Statistics:**
– Brazil’s tropical forest loss exceeds other countries.
– Africa had the largest annual net forest loss in 2010-2020.
– Asia had the highest net gain of forest area in 2010-2020.
– Madagascar lost 90% of its eastern rainforests.
– Up to 90% of West Africa’s coastal rainforests disappeared since 1900.