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Primary forest deforestation, 1990-2000
Statistics from 17 tropical countries for which the United Nations has somewhat reliable figures for primary forest cover. Total deforestation statistics typically fail to distinguish between general deforestation, reforestation through plantations, and the loss of biologically important primary forests (also called old-growth forests). Looking at primary forest loss figures for these countries reveals an alarming increase in deforestation of these endangered ecosystems.
Since the close of the 1990s, rates of primary forest loss have increased in the tropics. Between 2000 and 2005, deforestation rates of primary forest rose 25.6% (from 0.67% per year to 0.84% annually) for these 17 countries in the table below.
Primary forest cover. Sorted by 1990-2000 deforestation rate. You can sort by other criteria by clicking on column header links.
These figures are derived from data provided in "Forest Resources Assessment 2005" by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
A negative number for "Annual change" and/or "total change" reflects deforestation. A positive number in these columns suggests that forest is regrowing or, more likely, plantations are being established. "n/a" means data is not available.
"Rainforest" is used interchangeably with "rain forest" on this site. Same for "rainforests" and "rain forests". "Jungle" is generally not used.
Recent news
Amazon deforestation rate falls to lowest on record (8/10/2007) Deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon for the previous year were the lowest on record, according to preliminary figures released by INPE, Brazil's National Institute of Space Research.
Lowland rainforest less diverse than previously thought (8/9/2007) While rainforests are the world's libraries of biodiversity, species richness may be more evenly distributed in some forests than in others, reports an extensive new study by an international team of entomologists and botanists. The work, published in the current issue of the journal Nature, has important implications for forest management and conservation strategies.
Experts: parks effectively protect rainforest in Peru (8/9/2007) High-resolution satellite monitoring of the Amazon rainforest in Peru shows that land-use and conservation policies have had a measurable impact on deforestation rates. The research is published in the August 9, 2007, on-line edition of Science Express.
