Deforestation is especially prevalent in tropical forests, and the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, and especially in Brazil and Bolivia, was the most worrying.
In 2002, the deforestation of the planet increased by 4%, compared to 2021with the loss of 6.6 million hectares of forest, which threatens the goal of eliminating the loss of tree mass by 2030, according to a report released this Monday.
The study by Forest Declaration Assessment (FDA), a coalition of civil society organizations that monitors deforestation on the planet, found that the 2022 data represents an acceleration of forest destruction and a setback in the global commitment to eliminate forest loss by 2030.
The authors of the study noted that with the setback of 2022, The world would need to reduce deforestation by 27.8% this year to maintain the 2030 goal.
Deforestation has intensified especially in tropical foreststhe densest and most virgin on the planet, of which 4.1 million hectares will be destroyed in 2022.
And from all regions of the world, The situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, and especially in Brazil and Bolivia, was the most worrying. In the region, deforestation increased by 8% in 2022 compared to the baseline, which is the average loss for the 2018-2020 period.
In the case of Brazil, the authors of the report They observed a rapid change from 2023 to protect forestsan improvement that is not reflected in the published data.
Unlike Latin America, in Asia deforestation decreased by 18% and countries like Malaysia and Indonesia met their 2022 targets.
Loss of primary forests increases
Another point of concern for the report’s authors is that in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, the loss of primary (virgin) forests increased by 6% in 2022.
And outside the tropics, in boreal and temperate forests, although deforestation is low, significant degradation is occurring, which is why the FDA requests European and North American countries better protection of these forest masses.
Franziska Haupt, one of the main authors of the report and manager of the organization Climate Focus, expressed his optimism despite the acceleration in forest loss.
“Hope is not lost. We have also found that around 50 countries are on track to end deforestation on its borders,” he explained in a statement.
“Some of the major tropical countries, such as Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia have achieved drastic reductions in forest losses. “Reforms are not easy and these countries are a clear example that others should follow,” Haupt added.
In this sense, “Forest Pathways 2023”, a second WWF report also released this Monday, explained that despite the acceleration of deforestation, it is possible to achieve the 2030 goal. if the private sector and public administrations keep their promises.
The WWF study echoes the FDA’s conclusions and criticizes that subsidies that damage the environment exceed at least 100 times the funding allocated to protecting forests.
In fact, FDA put only 2.2 billion dollars what public administrations allocate per year to forests.
The harm of subsidies
In comparison, Erin Matson, FDA coordinator, told Efe that every year Some 500 billion dollars are allocated to finance activities that damage the tree mass.
Both Matson and Edegar Oliveira, from WWF Brazil, indicated to questions from Efe that It is necessary to convert subsidies and use them to promote practices that do not destroy forestsso that farmers and communities can continue to benefit from aid.
Forest destruction means that Tropical forests have begun to be a source of carbon emission, instead of retaining CO2, which will accelerate the climate crisis.
FDA estimated that greenhouse gas emissions resulting from deforestation increased by 6% in 2022 and reached the equivalent of 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide.
Fran Price, head of WWF Global Forests, stated that “the world is turning its back on forests, which will have devastating consequences on a global scale. Without forests, it is impossible to reverse the loss of nature, respond to the climate crisis and develop sustainable economies.
“Governments and companies have the enormous responsibility of leading us to the appropriate path.”. “We do not need new objectives but to meet the objectives already established with uncompromising ambition, speed and accountability,” he added.
The FDA report points to agriculture and livestock as the main culprits of forest loss in the tropics although other activities, such as road construction, fires and the logging industry, also contribute.
WWF requested the end of investments and subsidies which are responsible for the destruction of 2.2 million hectares of forest each year.
Furthermore, the organization demanded the reform of international trade rules that damage forests and that the recognition of the rights over the territory of indigenous peoples be accelerated.