Mongabay.com is considered a leading source of information on tropical forests by some of the world's top ecologists and conservationists. TROPICAL RAINFORESTS: Imperiled Riches - Threatened Rainforests

WOOD REMOVAL FROM TROPICAL FORESTS

By Rhett Butler  |  Last updated July 27, 2006

Figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) show that wood removal is generally increasing in tropical Africa and decreasing in tropical Asia. In Latin America the results are mixed over the past 15-year period.

In tropical Africa, subsistence fuelwood collection and agriculture combined with increasing logging operations and development pressures may be factors behind rising levels of wood removal.

In tropical Asia vast areas were logged in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, timber harvesting in natural forests has diminished while forest plantations are replacing lost production.

Total wood removal figures for tropical countries as reported by FAO
Total wood removalWood removal 2005
199020002005% changeIndustrial roundwoodWood fuel
1000
m� o.b.
1000
m� o.b.
1000
m� o.b.
1990-20051000
m� o.b.
1000
m� o.b.
AFRICA
Angola3,6684,9055,19642%1,2833,913
Botswana79285188111%132749
Burkina Faso6,3397,2487,33816%57,333
Burundi6,7218,2179,69344%3839,310
Cameroon14,86117,98919,77233%3,21116,561
Central African Republic4,0543,5663,566-12%1,1082,458
Comoros16819320623%9197
Congo2,0592,4242,76734%1,4501,317
Congo, DR54,92278,79182,99451%4,19978,795
C�te d'Ivoire8,82612,13712,54542%2,17510,370
Equatorial Guinea71493393331%419514
Gabon2,1983,5504,22792%3,600627
Gambia60278387345%154718
Ghana16,07824,99929,45883%1,20528,253
Guinea11,41213,17914,00123%74813,253
Guinea-Bissau1,1101,3091,41728%321,385
Kenya21,38524,90026,65825%2,40224,256
Liberia5,0485,6105,91817%-5,918
Madagascar7,2469,9737,031-3%5986,433
Malawi6,3486,2976,272-1%6555,617
Mali4,9615,9116,38629%5075,879
Mauritius271814-48%86
Mozambique18,17420,74422,02921%1,73220,297
Niger9,54412,15112,47331%59411,879
Nigeria63,75679,00286,62736%13,91672,711
Rwanda3,1147,78910,429235%22610,203
Senegal4,6965,1315,1109%105,100
Sierra Leone5,5346,2126,55118%1376,414
Sudan20,68421,71522,2307%2,71619,514
Tanzania23,84626,63728,03318%2,83325,200
Uganda35,90942,93646,44929%4,40842,041
Zambia8,0739,2599,85122%1,0538,798
Zimbabwe8,55210,51911,56635%1,18510,381
TROPICAL ASIA
Bhutan313290277-12%20770
India9,0015,7354,724-48%1,2523,472
Indonesia26,56024,40911,257-58%11,17879
Laos6,9657,4247,4247%6826,742
Malaysia53,73928,28924,014-55%20,6003,414
Myanmar39,08440,70843,06010%3,88039,180
Nepal138110119-14%6752
Philippines2,721759541-80%403138
Sri Lanka9,3557,5466,642-29%7635,879
Thailand7105449-93%418
Viet Nam35,50527,21923,735-33%2,50021,235
TROPICAL LATIN AMERICA
Belize2162162160%71145
Brazil368,706293,219290,476-21%168,091122,385
Colombia11,81910,80910,275-13%3,2467,029
Costa Rica1,1982,3982,400100%1,932468
Ecuador7,2507,9768,33915%1,3606,979
El Salvador4,2755,9575,20122%6824,519
French Guiana915270-23%70-
Guatemala13,14317,21119,24546%62318,622
Honduras10,91614,02215,57643%1,00914,567
Mexico9,3998,7408,351-11%7,667684
Nicaragua1,9081,4541,846-3%1061,740
Panama813573464-43%53410
Peru7,6769,75210,78941%1,8918,898
Suriname11617620577%2005
Venezuela6641,13881322%8122



Continued / Next:

Rainforest Logging




Other pages in this section:

A World Imperilled
Threats from Humankind
Economic Restructuring
Logging
Fires
Commercial Agriculture
Hydro, Pollution, Hunting
Debt
Consumption, Conclusion
- - - - -
References
References
References
References
References
Natural forces
Subsistence Activities
Oil Extraction
Mining
War
Cattle Pasture
Fuelwood, Roads, Climate
Population & Poverty

- - - - -
Kids version of this section
- Why are rainforests disappearing?
- Logging
- Agriculture
- Cattle
- Roads
- Poverty


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