Decrease in Deforestation

The world's forests are getting smaller and smaller but now according to an article in Christian Science Monitor they are declining at a slower rate. Forests declined by 0.18% during the 1990s but between 2000 and 2015 this declined to a rate of 0.08%. The article is based on the recently published United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Global Food Resources Assessment (FRA). It notes that rates of deforestation are greatest in tropical regions (such as the Amazon, Borneo or parts of South Asia) and that some temperate forest climates have actually seen an increase in forest cover due to afforestation practices. I think it is important to look at these statistics with caution:

• Rates of deforestation in some parts of the world are still increasing due to a lack of regulation and monitoring. For example, parts of Borneo are under threat due to Palm Oil Production. 

• 0.08% whilst it appears small is still a large area of forest. We still need to act upon this and try to reduce deforestation. 

There are an endless supply of news articles on the web regarding current deforestation trends, activities and politics but the purpose of this blog post is to show that deforestation is still a heavily researched issue within the United Nations but also to be cautious of statistics and the wording within non-academic articles.