Forests are not only key habitats for animal life, but also serve as important regulators of the global climate and carbon sponges, absorbing emissions released by human activity.
However, deforestation last year was 20 percent higher than expected to meet leaders’ pledge, with 6.6 million hectares of forest destroyed, much of it primary forest in tropical regions.
The assessment, overseen by more than two dozen environmental groups and research organizations, also warns that forest degradation remains a major problem.
Degradation refers to a variety of losses, including wildfires and biodiversity loss, which affect the overall health of the forest.
“The data changes from year to year. So one year isn’t everything,” Matson said.
“But what’s really important is the trend. And since the 2018 to 2020 baseline, we’ve been going in the wrong direction.”
The assessment was not universally disappointing, with about 50 countries considering the path to ending deforestation.
In particular, Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia saw “dramatic reductions” in forest loss.
However, the report warns that these gains are at risk.