Deforestation

Deforestation is the conversion of forest to another land use, including cropland, grazing land, mines, settlements or infrastructure. Definitions differ somewhat between institutions, but the central distinction is a change in land use rather than a temporary loss of leaves or canopy. Forest degradation describes declining ecological condition within a forest that remains forest land. By contrast, satellite-based tree-cover-loss measures can record canopy removal caused by harvesting, fire, disease or storms; some of those areas later regrow and are not necessarily deforested. Monitoring systems therefore distinguish forest conversion from broader tree-cover change, and estimates depend on the definitions and data used.

Forest conversion is linked to demand for land and products. Agricultural expansion is a leading driver globally, although its relative importance differs among regions. FAO's Global Remote Sensing Survey reported that agriculture accounted for almost 90 percent of global deforestation in the period it examined, 2000–2018: about half of forest loss was associated with conversion to cropland and roughly 40 percent with livestock grazing. Urban and infrastructure development and mining also convert forest land. Logging and fires can cause substantial tree-cover loss and forest degradation, but they do not automatically amount to deforestation when forest land is retained or regenerates.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publishes a Global Forest Resources Assessment every five years, drawing on national reports and other information. Its 2025 assessment reported that the global rate of deforestation had slowed over the preceding decade, yet remained about 10.9 million hectares per year. A separate FAO survey based on satellite data and national collaboration documented how the drivers and locations of conversion vary across regions. Such figures refer to defined periods and measurement frameworks; they should not be confused with net forest-area change, which also reflects forest gains.

Converting forest can remove or fragment habitats and place pressure on species and ecological processes. Forests also store carbon and influence water and energy exchanges between land and atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that more than 420 million hectares of forest were lost to deforestation worldwide from 1990 to 2020, with over 90 percent of that loss in tropical areas. It also assessed that large-scale tropical deforestation can alter regional climates, generally reducing rainfall and raising temperatures, though effects depend on scale and location. Forest change can affect livelihoods, food security and cultural relationships, especially for communities that depend directly on forests; outcomes are shaped by local rights, governance and economic conditions.

Reducing deforestation requires addressing the land-use pressures that drive conversion while balancing food production, livelihoods and conservation. Measures discussed in international assessments include protecting and managing existing forests, improving land-use planning and agricultural practices, restoring degraded landscapes, and supporting agroforestry and sustainable forest use. Restoration using a diverse mix of native species can help rebuild climate resilience, but the IPCC advises that it be implemented alongside other sustainable forest-management and adaptation measures. Reliable monitoring, enforcement, secure rights and participation by forest-dependent communities are important to making policies effective and fair.