Swaziland Forest Information and Data

According to the U.N. FAO, 32.7% or about 563,000 ha of Swaziland is forested, according to FAO. Swaziland had 140,000 ha of planted forest.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Swaziland lost an average of 4,550 ha or 0.96% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Swaziland gained 19.3% of its forest cover, or around 91,000 ha.

Swaziland's forests contain 22 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass. Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Swaziland has some 766 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 0.7% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 1.6% are threatened. Swaziland is home to at least 2715 species of vascular plants, of which 0.1% are endemic. 0.0% of Swaziland is protected under IUCN categories I-V.

2011 Update

In May 2011, Sassan Saatchi of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab and colleagues published a paper in PNAS with new carbon stock estimates for global tropical forests.

Forest definition (canopy cover %)	10% tree cover	25% tree cover	30% tree cover
Forest Area (M ha)	1	0.49	0.38
Aboveground forest carbon (Mt C)	22	12	9
Belowground forest carbon (Mt C)	7	4	3
Total forest carbon (Mt C)	29	16	12
Average Carbon Density (t C/ha)	32	32	32

M=million, t=metric tons; all figures are mean carbon stock values

The following contains data relating to forest cover in Swaziland

Previous version of this profile (2009)

SECTIONS:

Forest Cover | Breakdown of forest types | Change in Forest Cover | Deforestation | Primary forest | Planted forest | Forest designation | Forest ownership | Growing stock | Carbon stock | Disturbances affecting forest land | Removals | Removals Value | Employment | Forest policy | Human resources | Revenue | Agreements | Protected areas | Biodiversity - Wildlife | Biodiversity - Plants | Environment | Land use / Resources | Economy | Population / Demographics | Infrastructure | Health | References | Books

Home  What's New  About  Rainforests    Mission    Introduction    Characteristics    Biodiversity    The Canopy    Forest Floor    Forest Waters    Indigenous People    Deforestation    Consequences    Saving Rainforests    Amazon    Borneo    Congo    New Guinea    Sulawesi    REDD    Country Profiles    Statistics    Works Cited    For Kids    For Teachers    Photos/Images    Expert Interviews    Rainforest News   Forest data    Global deforestation    Tropical deforestation    By country    Deforestation charts    Regional forest data    Deforestation drivers  XML Feeds  Pictures  Books  Education  Newsletter  Contact

Swaziland: Forest Cover, 2010 Total Land Area (1000 ha) 1720 Total Forest Area (1000 ha) 563 Percent Forest Cover 33 Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) 0 Primary Forest, % total forest 0 Other wooded land (1000 ha) 427 Percent other wooded land 25 Swaziland: Breakdown of forest types, 2010 Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 0 0 Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 423 75 Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) 140 25 Swaziland: Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010 TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha) 1990 2000 2005 2010 472 518 541 563 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 5 5 4 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 0.93 0.87 0.80 Swaziland: Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010 FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha) 1990 2000 2005 2010 312.00 368.00 396.00 423.00 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 6 6.00 6.00 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 1.8 1.79 1.49 Swaziland: Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010 PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha) 1990 2000 2005 2010 0 0 0 0 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 0 0 0 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 - - - Swaziland: Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010 PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha) 1990 2000 2005 2010 160 150 145 140 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 -1 -1 -1 ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 -0.64 -0.68 -0.70 Swaziland: Primary designated function (percent) Production Protection of soil and water Conservation of biodiversity Social services Multiple use Other None or unknown 25 0 0 0 0 0 75 Swaziland: Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent) OWNERSHIP PATTERN Public ownership Private ownership Other 78 22 n.s. PRIVATE OWNERSHIP Individuals Business entities and institutions Local, indigenous and tribal communities - - - HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS Public administration Individuals Business entities and Institutions Communities Other 100 0 0 0 0 Swaziland: Growing stock in forest GROWING STOCK IN FOREST Total (million m3) Per hectare (m3) Coniferous (million m3) Broadleaved (million m3) % commercial species 19 34 - - 56 GROWING STOCK IN FOREST Total (million m3) Per hectare (m3) Coniferous (million m3) Broadleaved (million m3) % commercial species 5 12 Swaziland: Trends in carbon stock in living forest biomass 1990-2010 CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS (million metric tons) 1990 2000 2005 2010 23 22 22 22 CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS (per hectare in tons) 2000 39 ANNUAL CHANGE (1 000 t/yr) 1990 2000 2005 2010 n.s. n.s. n.s. ANNUAL CHANGE PER HECTARE (t/ha/yr) 1990 2000 2005 2010 n.s. n.s. n.s. Swaziland: Area of forest affected by fire and other disturbances 2005 FOREST FIRE 1000 ha % wild fire (not managed burn) - - EXCLUDING FOREST FIRE Insects Diseases Other biotic agents Abiotic factors Total (excluding fire) % of 2005 forest area - - - - - - Swaziland: Trends in removals of wood products 1990-2005 INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) 1990 2000 2005 percent of which from forest 2005 1170 379 379 100 WOODFUEL Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) 1990 2000 2005 percent of which from forest 2005 644 644 848 100 Swaziland: Value of wood and NWFP removals 2005 Value of removals (million US$) Value per ha forest (US$) Industrial roundwood Woodfuel NWFP Total - - - - - Swaziland: Employment in forestry 1990-2005 TOTAL (1000 full-time employees) 1990 2000 2005 - - - IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF GOODS-FORESTRY (1000 full-time employees) 1990 2000 2005 - - - IN MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS-CONSERVATION (1000 full-time employees) 1990 2000 2005 - - - Swaziland: Forest policy and legal framework 2008 National forest policy (year): Yes (2002) Sub-national forest policy: No National forest program (year) - status: Yes (2002) Temporarily suspended National forest law (year): Incorporated in other law (2002) Sub-national forest law: No Swaziland: Human resources within public forest institutions 2000-2008 2000 2005 2008 # % female # % female # % female 20 10 13 15 14 14 Swaziland: Forest revenue and public expenditure on forestry 2005 Forest revenue Public expenditure (1000 US$) Domestic funding External funding Total (1000 US$) Operational expenditure Transfer payments Operational expenditure Transfer payments Operational expenditure Transfer payments - 388 0 275 0 663 0 Swaziland: Status of ratification of international conventions and agreements as of 1 January 2010 CbD: UNFCCC: Kyoto Protocol: UNCCD: ITTA: CITeS: Ramsar: World Heritage Convention: NlbI: [an error occurred while processing this directive] Swaziland: Environment Environment - current issues limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea Natural hazards drought Swaziland: Land use / Resources Land use (%) arable land: 10.35% permanent crops: 0.7% other: 88.95% (2001) Natural resources asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc Swaziland: Economy Economy - overview: In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives about nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends nearly three-quarters of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2004-05 because of drought, and more than one-third of the adult population was infected by HIV/AIDS. GDP - per capita $5,300 (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate (%) 1.8% (2005 est.) Agriculture - products sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep GDP - composition by sector (%) agriculture: 15.1%, industry: 49.7%, services: 35.3% (2005 est.) Industries mining (coal, raw asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel Economic aid - recipient $104 million (2001) Debt - external $357 million (2003 est.) Population below poverty line (%) 66% (2004) Labor force - by occupation (%) NA Swaziland: Population / Demographics Population (July 2005) 1,173,900 Population growth rate (%) (2005) 0.25% Population density (people/sq km) (2005) 68.2 Percent rural (2003) 76.5% Median age (years) total: 18.72 years Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 3.7 (2005 est.) Ethnic groups (%) African 97%, European 3% [an error occurred while processing this directive]--> Swaziland: Infrastructure Telephones - main lines in use 46,200 (2003) Telephones - mobile cellular 88,000 (2003) Roadways (km) total: 3,107 km paved: NA unpaved: NA (2000) Swaziland: Health Life expectancy at birth (years) total population: 33.22 years male: 32.49 years female: 33.98 years (2005 est.) Infant mortality rate 69.27 deaths/1,000 live births HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) 38.8% (2003 est.) Swaziland : References & Data Sources  Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005  Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)  Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.  Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.  RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.  World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site  The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund  With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com Select a Country or Region INDEX Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Caribbean Cayman Islands Central African Republic Central America Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Cote d�Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic DR Congo East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea Norway Oceania Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South America South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States of America United States Virgin Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Vietnam Virgin Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Tropical rainforest information  World Rainforests  Rainforest Structure  Rainforest Biodiversity  Canopy  Forest Floor  Rainforest Waters  Indigenous People  Deforestation  Global Importance  Rainforest Conservation  Country Reports update soon  References  Deforestation Tables  The Amazon Rainforest update soon  The Congo Rainforest update soon  Deforestation in Brazil  Rainforest Images   Web mongabay.com Mongabay Rainforests Mongabay News Mongabay Photos