SUDAN

Please note, this page is not longer being updated. For more recent information, please see news.mongabay.com and use the search function to find the country feed. For more up-to-date data on forest cover and loss, check out Global Forest Watch.

Sudan Forest Figures

Forest Cover
Total forest area: 67,546,000 ha
% of land area: 28.4%

Primary forest cover: 13,509,000 ha
% of land area: 5.7%
% total forest area: 20.0%

Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005
Annual change in forest cover: -589,000 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -0.8%
Change in defor. rate since '90s: 8.4%
Total forest loss since 1990: -8,835,000 ha
Total forest loss since 1990:-11.6%

Primary or "Old-growth" forests
Annual loss of primary forests: -117800 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -0.8%
Change in deforestation rate since '90s: 8.4%
Primary forest loss since 1990: -589,000 ha
Primary forest loss since 1990:-11.6%

Forest Classification
Public: 97.7%
Private: 2.3%
Other: n/a
Use
Production: 44.9%
Protection: 2.6%
Conservation: 12.7%
Social services: n/a
Multiple purpose: n/a
None or unknown: 39.9

Forest Area Breakdown
Total area: 67,546,000 ha
Primary: 13,509,000 ha
Modified natural: 47,282,000 ha
Semi-natural: 1,351,000 ha
Production plantation: 4,728,000 ha
Production plantation: 675,000 ha

Plantations
Plantations, 2005: 5,404,000 ha
% of total forest cover: 8%
Annual change rate (00-05): -47,123,000 ha

Carbon storage
Above-ground biomass: 2,235 M t
Below-ground biomass: 827 M t

Area annually affected by
Fire: n/a
Insects: n/a
Diseases: n/a

Number of tree species in IUCN red list
Number of native tree species: 533
Critically endangered: 1
Endangered: 1
Vulnerable: 15

Wood removal 2005
Industrial roundwood: 2,716,000 m3 o.b.
Wood fuel: 19,514,000 m3 o.b.

Value of forest products, 2005
Industrial roundwood: $82,611,000
Wood fuel: $379,143,000
Non-wood forest products (NWFPs): $692,041,000
Total Value: $1,153,795,000


More forest statistics for Sudan

Civil war-prone Sudan is plagued with a huge foreign debt and increasing desertification. Wildlife is endangered by over-hunting and poaching.

Most deforestation is Sudan results from subsistence activities, especially the harvesting of fuelwood. The country lost about 11 percent—or 8.8 million hectares—of its forests between 1990 and 2005.

On paper around 5 percent of Sudan is under some form of protection. Sudan is home to 952 species of birds, 15 amphibians, 162 mammals, 302 reptiles, and 3137 plant species.

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Unless otherwise specified, this article was written by Rhett A. Butler [Bibliographic citation for this page]

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Last updated: 4 Feb 2006