State of the World’s Forests 2024

Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released the 2024 edition of the State of the World’s Forests Report.

Key Highlights of the Report

• Decline in Deforestation Rates: The report shows a significant drop in global deforestation rates. Annual deforestation fell from 15.8 million hectares (ha) between 1990 and 2002 to 10.2 million ha between 2015 and 2020, with a total of 420 million ha converted from 1990 to 2020.
  • This trend indicates improved forest conservation efforts.
• Forest Area Distribution: As of 2020, forests spanned about 4.1 billion hectares, or 31% of the Earth’s land area. The Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States, and China together account for 54% of the global forest area.
  • Additionally, Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Peru, and India contribute to roughly two-thirds of the world’s forest area.
• Regional and National Progress: In 2020, countries such as China, Australia, India, and others saw annual forest gains.
  • Indonesia reported an 8.4% drop in deforestation for 2021-22, the lowest since 1990. Brazil’s deforestation in the Legal Amazon fell by 50% in 2023 compared to 2022. Africa also saw reduced deforestation rates between 2016-19 and 2020-22.
• Threats from Wildfires and Pests: Wildfires burned 383 million hectares in 2023, emitting 6,687 megatons of CO2—more than double the EU’s annual fossil fuel emissions.
  • Boreal fires in 2021 contributed 10% of global CO2 emissions. Pests threaten forests as well. 
  • The pine wood nematode has caused significant damage in Asia, with 12 million pine trees lost from 1988 to 2022. In the U.S., insects and diseases are expected to affect over 25 million hectares by 2027.
• Changes in Mangrove Areas: Global mangrove area is 14.8 million hectares, with South and Southeast Asia covering nearly 44%.
  • The rate of mangrove loss decreased by 23% from 2000-2010 to 2010-2020, but gains also declined. Key factors include aquaculture, natural retraction, and agricultural conversion.
• Resilience of Mangroves: Mangroves have shown resilience, with natural expansion outpacing losses. Despite a net decrease in global mangrove area from 2000 to 2020, natural growth exceeded the losses.
• Climate Change and Extreme Weather: Climate change poses a significant threat to forests through extreme weather events and rising sea levels, especially affecting mangrove ecosystems.
  • These changes increase local communities’ vulnerability to disasters and disrupt the ecological balance of forested areas.

Need for Innovation in Forest Sector

• Climate Change Stress: Innovative forest and land management is essential for resilience against wildfires and pests.
• Bioeconomy Shift: A zero-carbon bioeconomy requires innovative uses for diverse, efficient wood-based products.
• Non-Wood Forest Products: Wild forest foods, including fish, are rich in micronutrients and offer high nutritional value.

Way Forward

• Technological: Remote sensing and cloud computing provide high-quality forest data, improving management processes. For example, NASA and ESA’s Landsat and Copernicus programs.
• Social, Policy, and Institutional: Dynamic innovations aim to better engage women, youth, and Indigenous People. For instance, India’s Joint Forest Management Programme mandates one-third female representation on committees.
• Financial: Innovations focus on increasing the value of standing forests and boosting restoration efforts. An example is the SCRIPT (Soft Commodity Risk Platform).