Southeast Asia, containing the world’s third largest tropical forests, is experiencing deforestation rates higher than almost anywhere else on Earth. The region’s forests and animals living in the forest are endangered by defragmentation and conversion to agriculture or other land uses, such as oil palm plantations and logging.

2050. Global climate change has already contributed to rising temperatures in the Amazon which, when combined with deforestation, have led to a cycle of lower precipitation and a greater frequency of droughts. Researchers at Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research say that the Amazon could reach a tipping point – the point at which deforestation and climate change combine to trigger self-sustaining desertification – in 50-60 yea...

The net change in forest area (loss and gain) describes the sum of all changes in forest area over a specific period of time (including reductions due to deforestation and disasters, and increases due to afforestation and expansion of forests during the period).

Indonesia and Malaysia are major producers of palm oil: in 2006 these two countries accounted for 85 per cent of total world production and 88 per cent of global exports (FAO 2008). Over the past decade, the area covered by oil palms in Indonesia has quadrupled, covering 4.1 million hectares in 2006 (FAO 2008). In Latin America, cattle ranches are expanding rapidly (FAO 2007a) and, according to one study, accounted for an estimated 70 pe...

In Latin America, cattle ranches are expanding rapidly (FAO 2007a) and, according to one study, accounted for an estimated 70 per cent of deforestation in Brazil in 2007 (Malhi et al. 2008). In the Brazilian Amazon region, ranches cover an area of at least 8.4 million hectares in total.

Growing global demand for land for the production of agricultural commodities has resulted in sometimes irreversible changes to the world’s forest cover. The Amazon is now part of a national and international economy which, through globalization, is responding to market demands, accelerating the rate at which agricultural crops and cattle ranching are replacing or impoverishing native forests (Nepstad et al. 2006).

Over the past 40 years, about a fifth of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has been deforested (Reuters 2008). Official statistics show that annual deforestation has been close to 20 000 square kilometres over the last 10 years, reaching a peak of 27 429 square kilometers in 2004, and then being reduced annually to 11 224 square kilometers in 2007 (INPE 2008).

Forests can undergo changes in various ways. Forest areas can be reduced either by deforestation or by natural disasters, which can result in the forest being unable to naturally regenerate. Conversely, forest areas can be increased – through afforestation or by the natural expansion of forests.

Some of the most serious deforestation occurs when there are various commodity booms at the domestic and international levels. At such times farmers and large agribusiness enterprises clear forest areas to plant more profitable market crops such as sugar cane and soya beans. At the present time, the production of soya beans is reaching record levels, with world soya bean production in 2006 reaching about 222 million tonnes. Brazil is ...

The amount of deforestation in the Amazon region is increasing at an alarming rate. This graphic compares the amount of deforested areas in the Amazon region to region in Norway in order to show how much is being destroyed.

The graphic shows the amount and rate of deforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa from 1980 to 1990. Tropical forests are earth's most complex biome in terms of both structure and species diversity.

The graph shows deforestation in Rondonia, Brazil. Brazil covers more than one quarter of the worlds tropical forests. Since 1980 the deforestation has steadily increased. Deforestration can occur as a result of the clearing of large areas for agricultural purposes, commercial logging and the construction of towns or dams. Please be advised that this graphic is likely outdated.

Emissions of various gases from deforestation, logging, peat fires, fossil fuel and other sources.

Multiple stresses make most of Africa highly vulnerable to environmental changes, and climate change is likely to increase this vulnerability. This graphic shows which of the regions of Africa (North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean Islands) are most vulnerable to specific impacts of climate change. These impacts include desertification, sea level rise, reduced freshwater availability,...

Multiple stresses make most of Africa highly vulnerable to environmental changes, and climate change is likely to increase this vulnerability. This graphic shows which of the regions of Africa (North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean Islands) are most vulnerable to specific impacts of climate change. These impacts include desertification, sea level rise, reduced freshwater availability,...

Deforestation is well known for aggravating erosion. Bare soil has no protection against heavy rain, washing away immediately. On hillsides, it readily turns into mudslides leaving people very little time to seek refuge and cutting deep ravines into the earth. And where deforested land was turned into cultivated fields, the soil is likely to be overused and exploited through intensive use of fertiliser.

The graphic shows an outline of the areas within the Ferghana Valley which are subjects to disputes over water resources and borders, disputes between private and collective farmers, deforestation and overuse of pasture. The map also show areas of industrial pollution and chemical risks caused by badly maintained radioactive dumps, tailing containments and several working industrial facilities.

The highest levels of land degradation is in Europe. Specifically degraded soils are found especially in semi-arid areas (Sub-Saharan Africa, Chile), areas with high population pressure (China, Mexico, India) and regions undergoing deforestation (Indonesia).

Deforestation is a key global environmental indicator. Many regions of the world are affected by deforestation: namely in South America (Brazil), Central Africa (Congo), Southeast Asia (Indonesia) and Eastern Europe.

From 1970 to 1990 there was significant deforestation of both primary and secondary forests in Thailand: during this thirty year period, the area covered by primary and secondary forest declined by more than half.