But we are losing forests at an alarming rate.
Two-thirds of global forest cover loss is occurring in the tropic and subtropic regions of the world, where vast clusters of deforestation hot spots—also known as “deforestation fronts”—are destroying the important ecosystem services forests provide. There are 24 of these hot spots that are spread across Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, as illustrated by the map below.
Over 160,000 square miles, an area roughly the size of California, were lost in these deforestation fronts between 2004 and 2017, according to a new report from World Wildlife Fund titled “Deforestation Fronts: Drivers and Responses in a Changing World.”
Deforestation puts human health and the health of our planet at risk. From policymakers to companies to consumers, urgent action is needed to halt this alarming trend of forest loss.
