New GLAD Data Shows Forest Loss Remained Stubbornly High in 2021

In a review of new data from the Global Analysis and Discovery Lab (GLAD), experts from Global Forest Watch (GFW) find that tropical primary forest loss remained remarkably high in 2021. 

According to GFW's Global Forest Review, tropical primary rainforests, areas of critical importance for carbon storage and biodiversity, were lost at a rate equivalent to 10 soccer fields a minute and resulted in the release of 2.5 Gt of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, northern boreal forests experienced the highest rate of tree cover loss on record in 2021, largely due to unprecedented fire seasons in northern forests. GFW experts say that current trends in global forest cover do not show the consistent decline in forest loss needed to meet global commitments to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030.

Read the story from The Washington Post.

Explore GLAD's global forest loss map, updated to include 2021 forest losses, the new map distinguishing between forest losses due to fires vs. other drivers, and the paper on forest loss due to fire.

Published on Mon, 05/02/2022 - 14:23