Despite a drop in forest loss rates, new data warns the world is still not on track to meet critical forestry and climate goals.
The world is losing less forest each year — but not fast enough to secure a sustainable future. A new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reveals that while global deforestation has slowed significantly over the past three decades, forests remain under severe threat from both human activity and environmental stressors.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Published as part of the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2025, the report provides a sobering snapshot of global forest health, drawing on national data spanning 1990 to 2025. While annual deforestation has decreased to 10.9 million hectares in the 2015–2025 period — down from 17.6 million hectares per year during 1990–2000 — this number remains “alarmingly high,” the FAO warns.
“The world is not yet on track to meet important global forestry targets,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu stated, calling for greater collective action toward sustainable forest management.
Forests Still Cover a Third of the Planet — But Pressure Mounts
Today, forests still blanket 4.14 billion hectares, accounting for roughly 32% of global land area. These ecosystems are critical for biodiversity, carbon storage, food security, and disaster risk reduction.
According to the FRA 2025, forests store an estimated 714 gigatons of carbon, underscoring their role in stabilizing the global climate. Yet, the pace of new forest creation is also slowing — from 9.88 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2015, to just 6.78 million hectares in the last decade.
Encouragingly, more than half of the world’s forests are now managed under long-term plans. Roughly 20% — or 813 million hectares — fall within legally designated protected areas.
In terms of forest function:
- 482 million hectares are managed for biodiversity conservation.
- 386 million hectares are allocated for soil and water protection.
- 221 million hectares support social services.
- 1.2 billion hectares — nearly 29% of global forest area — are used for production.
- 616 million hectares serve mixed or undefined purposes
These figures reflect the growing emphasis on multifunctional and sustainable forest landscapes.
Forests Under Attack: Wildfires, Insects, and Extreme Weather
Despite gains in planning and protection, forests are increasingly vulnerable to natural hazards. The FAO reports that 261 million hectares of land burn annually — nearly half of which is forest.
In 2020 alone, roughly 41 million hectares of forest were damaged by insects, diseases, and extreme weather — particularly in temperate and cold climate regions.
“Forests help regulate the global carbon and hydrological cycles, support biodiversity, and mitigate risks from drought, erosion, and floods,” Qu Dongyu noted. “Yet these roles are being compromised.”
Agriculture remains the historical driver of forest loss, but climate change-fueled disasters are emerging as dominant forces of destruction.
Since 1990, annual forest loss in South America has been cut in half — a major achievement for a region long associated with large-scale deforestation. However, South America still leads the world in the absolute area of forest lost.
In contrast, Europe is the only region where annual forest loss has increased since 1990, a reversal that raises new concerns about land use and forest policy on the continent.
Global Carbon Sink and Future Outlook
The world’s forests — home to most of the planet’s biodiversity and a key defense against climate change — now hold more than 700 billion tonnes of carbon. This makes their conservation and expansion central to meeting the Paris Agreement and Global Biodiversity Framework targets.
However, the FRA 2025 makes clear: progress is not enough. While many countries are increasing their forest areas and expanding protections, the world remains far from achieving sustainable forest management at the necessary scale.
“Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life — without leaving anyone behind — must include better forest governance,” Qu stressed.
Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life — without leaving anyone behind — must include better forest governance,
With the next five years critical for climate and biodiversity action, the FAO hopes this latest report will serve as a rallying point for governments, NGOs, and the private sector to intensify efforts, align policies, and unlock greater investments in sustainable forest stewardship.
Read full FAO (2025) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025, here
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