The State of the World’s Forests 2024

The State of the World’s Forests 2024 reports that the global rate of gross mangrove loss showed a 23 per cent decline between 2000 and 2020. However, the rate of gain in mangrove area also decreased slightly.

In terms of forest cover, the net annual rate of global forest loss has declined. From 2010 to 2020, the world saw a net forest loss of 4.7 million hectares per year. This is significantly lower than the figures recorded in previous decades – 7.8 million hectares per year between 1990 and 2000, and 5.2 million hectares between 2000 and 2010.

In the context of broader deforestation trends, the report presents evidence of notable progress in specific tropical regions. Indonesia saw an 8.4 per cent reduction in forest loss between 2021 and 2022, which marks its lowest level of deforestation since 1990. Similarly, in 2023, Brazil’s Legal Amazon region experienced a 50 per cent drop in deforestation. However, the report emphasizes that even as deforestation rates slow in some regions, climate-related threats such as wildfire and pests to forests are intensifying.

Wildfires alone released over 6,687 megatonnes of carbon dioxide in 2023, according to FAO estimates. This amount exceeds twice the total fossil fuel emissions of the European Union in the same year. In the United States, the future outlook is concerning – approximately 25 million hectares of forestland are projected to lose more than 20 per cent of their tree basal area (cross-sectional area of the trees at breast height) by 2027 due to pests and disease.

Meanwhile, global wood production has reached record highs. In 2022, total wood harvests amounted to approximately 4 billion cubic metres. Of this, 2.04 billion cubic metres were logged as roundwood. Woodfuel made up a substantial portion of global wood use – 1.97 billion cubic metres, accounting for 49.4 per cent of the total. The regional disparity in fuelwood use is significant: In Africa, 90 per cent and in Asia 60 per cent of all wood harvested was used as fuel. Concerns arising from the widespread use of woodfuel include its impacts on forest degradation and indoor air pollution.

The report also highlights the importance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in supporting global populations. Nearly six billion people make use of such products. Out of this total, approximately 2.77 billion users are located in rural areas of the Global South. In India, NTFPs support the livelihoods of about 275 million people, with local communities and indigenous people deriving up to 40 per cent of their income from them.

Projections indicate a significant rise in wood demand, with global roundwood demand potentially increasing by 49 per cent between 2020 and 2050. This growth is expected to be driven mainly by demand for industrial roundwood, though the projection is marked by considerable uncertainty. Meanwhile, wood-use efficiency improved by 15 per cent between 1961 and 2022.

While production volumes have surged, per capita availability of wood has declined. Between 1990 and 2022, global roundwood production grew by 13 per cent. In contrast, the world population grew by 50 per cent and per capita GDP rose by 174 per cent. This imbalance means that on a per-person basis, wood output is falling, despite the overall increase in production.

Scientific understanding of the role of forests in climate regulation has evolved. Forests are now recognized for their ability to cool the planet through non-carbon biophysical processes such as evapotranspiration (the transfer of water from land to the atmosphere), albedo (reflectivity), and the emission of organic aerosols. These processes may result in 20 to 40 per cent more cooling than previously estimated, particularly in tropical forest zones.

The report presents the CONSERV project in Brazil as a successful case of integrated conservation. Led by the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, the initiative uses mapping tools to identify vegetation surpluses on private land and offers financial incentives to rural producers for conservation. At the time of the report, the project had protected around 21,000 hectares and may have prevented up to 2.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

India’s 2014 National Agroforestry Policy was introduced to address systemic constraints preventing the widespread adoption of tree-based farming. It aims to integrate forestry with agriculture, enhance productivity, and meet the rising demand for timber, food, and non-timber forest products. A major objective is to increase the country’s tree cover by 33 per cent, contributing to both national development and international climate goals.

The state of Odisha developed a digital application to support agroforestry adoption. Released in 2021 with support from International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF), the app provides farmers with location-specific recommendations on crops and tree species, nursery information, and management practices. Although designed for Odisha, it has been downloaded in more than 120 countries – indicating strong global demand for localized agroforestry tools.

Focus and Factoids by Harsh Choudhary.