By The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP Europe Office
What is deforestation?
Deforestation refers to the decrease in forest areas across the world. Legal and illegal logging, means that forests are lost. Trees are used for timber. The land is used for agricultural croplands, urbanization, or mining activities. Deforestation occurs across all forest types
Wild For Life Journeys - Forests (2020-10-20) by United Nations Environment ProgrammeThe United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
An italian forest (2021) by Mauro Vettesethe United Nations
18 million football pitches
Between 2015 and 2020, we lost around 10 million hectares (18 million football pitches) of forests each year. The area of primary forest worldwide has decreased by over 80 million hectares since 1990, considerably decreasing the possibility of storing CO2 through trees.
Who depends on forests?
Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihood, including 70 million Indigenous Peoples. Forests are home to more than 80% of all terrestrial animal, plant and insect species. Despite the many warnings over several decades, deforestation continues.
Trees and Mountains (2020) by Wojciech Hurkalathe United Nations
Trees for the air that we breathe
They also store carbon, stabilize the soil and give life to the world's wildlife. Trees are fundamental for our wellbeing everywhere in world: from the countryside to the big city. In fact, they have an enormous power of regulating and cooling down temperatures.
Global Deforestation (2017) by UNEP/Lisa Murraythe United Nations
Cloudy and Mountanous Landscape (2020) by Ewelina Zajacthe United Nations
Deforestation is not the only problem
Climate change could alter the frequency and intensity of forest disturbances such as insect outbreaks, invasive species, wildfires, and storms. These disturbances can reduce forest productivity and change the distribution of tree species.
Deforestation in Madagascar (2017) by UNEP/Lisa Murraythe United Nations
Forest fires
There are more forest fires, that are more extreme and widespread due to increased temperatures. Forest fires release carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere, exacerbating global warming, and irreparably damaging forest ecosystems. It's a vicious circle.
The connection between biodiversity and deforestation
Deforestation affects biodiversity in many ways. It can directly lead to the loss of tree species and to the extinction of animal species that no longer have their habitat, cannot relocate, and disappear. Species may migrate closer to humans and bring zoonoses (infection).
A vital role
Trees play a vital role in the ecosystem's balance. Indeed, they are not just habitats: they also provide food for thousands of species surrounding them, making life possible.
Hugging trees (2016) by UNEP/Toby Kingthe United Nations
Primary Forests
Primary forests are areas that regenerate on their own and have not experienced human activities. Home of extraordinarily rich biodiversity, they are globally irreplaceable for their capabilities of biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
Amazone rainforest, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador (2014) by GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoschOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/3754
Rainforest
A rainforest is an area of tall, mostly evergreen trees and with a high amount of rainfall. Rainforests are Earth’s oldest living ecosystems, with some surviving in their present form for at least 70 million years. They are incredibly diverse and complex.
Did you know?
With the current rate of deforestation, the world's rainforests will be gone by the year 2100. The rainforest is home to more than half of all species on Earth.
Africa, Kenya, Watamu, Mangrove forest and freshwater (2020) by UNEP/Duncan Moorethe United Nations
Climate mitigation
One-third of the climate mitigation needed by 2030 can be achieved through nature-based solutions, such as tree planting and reforestation. Trees are the cheapest and most effective means of binding CO2, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero.
Nature based solutions (NbS)
By working with nature, humanity has the potential both to reduce emissions by more than a third of what is needed by 2030 and to build climate resilience. We need to explore and invest in what nature does best: self-healing. This is what we call nature-based solutions.
Illegal deforestation in Madagascar (2017) by UNEP/Lisa Murraythe United Nations
A soil-based solution
Most ecosystems in the world have remnant seeds in the soil.
Natural regrowth can be cheaper and more successful than tree planting. We need to restore degraded and destroyed ecosystems as much as possible.
Mangroves in the City of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) (2014) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: http://www.grida.no/resources/3881
Green cities
Trees improve air quality in heavily polluted urban areas and make them healthier places to live. Trees also help maintain high water quality, influence the volume of available water, and regulate surface and groundwater flows.
Nesting habitat of white tern (Gygis alba) in Honolulu, Hawaii (2016) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/4658
Naturally cool
Trees and vegetation lower temperatures by providing shade and through evaporation from the land surface and transpiration from plants. Trees can help reduce peak summer temperatures by 2–9°F (1–5°C).
How we can protect cities from heatwaves (2021) by UNEPthe United Nations
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Europe Office
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