Despite Global Pledges, Tree Loss Is Up Sharply in Tropical Forests
The pace of deforestation increased 10 percent in 2022, but there are signs the trajectory may change for the better in the near future.
More than a year after countries pledged to end deforestation by 2030, the world is continuing to lose its tropical forests at a fast pace, according to a report issued on Tuesday.
The annual survey by the World Resources Institute, a research organization, found that the world lost 10.2 million acres of primary rainforest in 2022, a 10 percent increase from the year before. It is the first assessment to cover a full year since November 2021, when 145 countries pledged at a global climate summit in Glasgow to halt forest loss by the end of this decade.
“We had hoped by now to see a signal in the data that we were turning the corner on forest loss,” Frances Seymour, a senior fellow at the institute’s forest program, said. “We don’t see that signal yet, and in fact we’re headed in the wrong direction.”
The report, done in collaboration with the University of Maryland, documented tree loss in the tropics from deforestation, fires, and other causes. Last year’s destruction resulted in 2.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions, a significant amount that is roughly equivalent to the annual fossil fuel emissions of India, a country of 1.4 billion.
Tropical deforestation also degrades some of the planet’s richest ecosystems, the habitats for plants and animals, and the regulators of rain patterns for several countries.
The Amazon rainforest, the largest in the world, hasn’t faced such enormous destruction in almost two decades, according to an analysis of the World Resources Institute data by Amazon Conservation, a research organization.
Brazil, the country with the largest portion of tropical rainforest, had the highest rates of deforestation globally. It accounted for more than 40 percent of tree loss globally, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bolivia.
Bolivia delivered some of the report’s most striking numbers. Forest loss there went up 32 percent last year, the highest rate on record for that country. It was one of the few tropical forest countries that did not sign the Glasgow commitment on deforestation.
Marlene Quintanilla, a research director at the Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza, a nonprofit group in Bolivia, said a powerful driver of destruction in that country has been a government policy that encourages farmers to clear vast tracts to secure land titles.
“The standing forest isn’t seen as fulfilling any social or economic function,” she said.
The expansion of agriculture appeared to be hurting forests in Africa. In Ghana, the country that lost the biggest proportion of its primary forest last year, small-scale clearing for cocoa production was a major source of deforestation.
Forest clearing is strongly linked to a lack of economic opportunities and basic infrastructure in the Congo River Basin region. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, most people don’t have access to electricity, so the forest is an important source of firewood and charcoal for cooking.
Teodyl Nkuintchua, who works on strategy and outreach for the World Resources Institute in the Congo Basin area, said policies to curb environmental harm would not work by themselves.
“Unless we integrate development priorities in those actions in those countries, we will not be able to address deforestation,” he said.
One of the few bright spots in the report came from Southeast Asia, where efforts to curb deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia continued to yield results. A logging moratorium, efforts to restore peatlands, and corporate commitments to exclude palm oil suppliers linked to deforestation appear to be effective.
And there are signs the trajectory of global deforestation may change for the better in the near future.
The European Union this year delivered a push in that direction, adopting a law that bans the import of a series of products that contribute to deforestation in tropical countries. China, the world’s largest importer of many agricultural commodities, has recently committed to cracking down
What are the main factors contributing to the continued rise of deforestation in tropical forests despite global commitments to halt forest loss by 2030?
Despite Global Commitments, Deforestation Continues to Rise in Tropical Forests
The rate of deforestation in tropical forests has increased by 10 percent in 2022, signaling a concerning trend despite global pledges to halt forest loss by 2030.
According to a report released by the World Resources Institute, the world lost 10.2 million acres of primary rainforest last year, a 10 percent increase from the previous year. This report, which is the first to cover a full year since the global climate summit in Glasgow, reveals that the hoped-for progress in reducing deforestation has not been realized.
Frances Seymour, a senior fellow at the institute’s forest program, expressed disappointment at the lack of improvement, stating, “We had hoped by now to see a signal in the data that we were turning the corner on forest loss. We don’t see that signal yet, and in fact, we’re headed in the wrong direction.”
The report, conducted in collaboration with the University of Maryland, examines tree loss in tropical regions resulting from deforestation, fires, and other causes. The destruction of the forests last year led to the emission of 2.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the annual fossil fuel emissions of India.
The loss of tropical forests not only contributes significantly to emissions but also damages vital ecosystems and disrupts rain patterns in multiple countries.
According to an analysis of the World Resources Institute data by Amazon Conservation, the Amazon rainforest, the largest in the world, suffered its worst destruction in almost 20 years.
Brazil, which contains the largest portion of tropical rainforest, recorded the highest rates of deforestation globally. It accounted for over 40 percent of global tree loss, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bolivia.
Of particular concern is the significant increase in deforestation in Bolivia, which saw a 32 percent rise last year, the highest rate on record for the country. Bolivia was one of the few tropical forest nations that did not sign the commitment to end deforestation made in Glasgow.
The findings of this report highlight the urgent need for increased efforts to curb deforestation and preserve tropical forests. Without swift action, the world risks irreversible damage to essential ecosystems and exacerbation of climate change.
