{"id":7942,"date":"2023-06-28T12:47:19","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T02:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=7942"},"modified":"2024-12-26T22:06:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T12:06:09","slug":"global-deforestation-surges-despite-cop26-commitments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/global-deforestation-surges-despite-cop26-commitments\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Deforestation Surges Despite COP26 Commitments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/research.wri.org\/gfr\/latest-analysis-deforestation-trends?utm_campaign=treecoverloss2022&amp;utm_medium=bitly&amp;utm_source=PressKit\">New research from the University of Maryland reports<\/a> that an area of tropical forest the size of Switzerland was lost last year as tree losses surged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It means that a political commitment to end deforestation made at COP26 by world leaders is well off track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the university&#8217;s Forest Pulse, 11 football pitches of forest were lost every minute in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil was responsible for 43% of the world&#8217;s total loss of forest area, equivalent to 1.78 million hectares of primary loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"373\" data-id=\"7943\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-countries-for-primary-forest-loss-by-area-in-2022-Wood-Central.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7943\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-countries-for-primary-forest-loss-by-area-in-2022-Wood-Central.png 684w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-countries-for-primary-forest-loss-by-area-in-2022-Wood-Central-600x327.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-countries-for-primary-forest-loss-by-area-in-2022-Wood-Central-300x164.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 684px) 100vw, 684px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Data provided by World Resources Intitute and Forest Watch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But a sharp reduction in forest loss in Indonesia and Malaysia, both at near record lows, shows that reversing this trend is achievable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">COP26 pledge to halt and reverse forest loss has not been met<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the critical moments at the COP26 climate meeting saw over 100 world leaders sign the Glasgow Declaration on forests, where they committed to collectively work to &#8220;halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leaders from countries covering around 85% of global forests signed up<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Commitments included former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who had relaxed enforcing environmental laws to allow development in the Amazon rainforest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7944\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-1068x601.png 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-1920x1080.png 1920w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Brazil-Primary-Forest-Loss-in-2002-until-2022-Wood-Central-1320x743.png 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Data provided by World Resources Institute and Forest Watch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/brazil-vows-to-halt-amazon-deforestation-by-2030\/\">Earlier this month<\/a>, Wood Central covered Brazilian President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva&#8217;s Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon, which aims to strengthen the country&#8217;s commitment to the Glasgow declaration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Brazil has resumed its leading role in tackling climate change after four years in which the environment was treated as an obstacle to the immediate profit of a privileged minority,&#8221; Lula said in a post on Twitter, alluding to the policies of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"BliHkmlplK0\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brazil&#039;s Lula lays out plan to halt Amazon deforestation \u2022 FRANCE 24 English\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BliHkmlplK0?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Footage courtesy of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@France24_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@France24_en<\/a><\/em><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/sustainable-forest-management-can-work-in-brazils-atlantic-forest\/\">Brazil has a long way to go to correct surging deforestation rates.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2022\/03\/brazils-atlantic-forest-gets-a-chance-at-a-fresh-start-through-restoration\/\">In March 2022<\/a>, Mongabay monitored Brazil&#8217;s performance against its global commitments to restore tens of millions of hectares of forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It found several major bottlenecks for restoration, including greater transparency and standardisation in reporting, delays in reforestation and restoration projects and Brazil&#8217;s forest laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rainforests act as global carbon sinks <\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>Rainforests in Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia absorb huge amounts of greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearing or burning these older forests sees that stored carbon released into the atmosphere, driving up temperatures worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These forests are also critical for maintaining biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scientists warn that these functions &#8211; or &#8220;ecosystem services&#8221; &#8211; can&#8217;t easily be replaced by planting trees elsewhere because these forests have developed for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the new data, the tropics lost 10% more primary rainforest in 2022 than in 2021, with just over 4 million hectares lost in felling or burnt trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7946\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-1068x601.png 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-1920x1080.png 1920w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Total-Forest-Loss-2002-to-2022-Wood-Central-1-1320x743.png 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Data provided by World Resources Institute and Forest Watch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This resulted in releasing carbon dioxide equivalent to India&#8217;s annual fossil fuel emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The question is, are we on track to halt deforestation by 2030? And the short answer is a simple no,&#8221; said Rod Taylor from the World Resources Institute (WRI), which runs the Global Forest Watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Globally, we are far off track and trending in the wrong direction. Our analysis shows that global deforestation in 2022 was over 1 million hectares above the level needed to be on track to zero deforestation by 2030.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brazil dominates the losses of primary tropical forests; in 2022, this increased by over 14%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Amazonas state, which is home to over half of Brazil&#8217;s intact forests, the rate of deforestation has almost doubled over the past three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7947\" style=\"width:574px;height:322px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1068x601.png 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1920x1080.png 1920w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Primary-forest-loss-in-Amazonas-Brazil-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1320x743.png 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Data provided by World Resources Institute and Forest Watch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signs of improvement in Indonesia and Malaysia <\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>While the overall picture is not good, some positive developments show that it is possible to rein in deforestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-10-countries-for-reduction-in-primary-forest-loss-as-of-2022-Wood-Central.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7948\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-10-countries-for-reduction-in-primary-forest-loss-as-of-2022-Wood-Central.png 682w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-10-countries-for-reduction-in-primary-forest-loss-as-of-2022-Wood-Central-600x344.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-10-countries-for-reduction-in-primary-forest-loss-as-of-2022-Wood-Central-300x172.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Data provided by World Resources Institute and Forest Watch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Indonesia has reduced its primary tropical forest loss more than any other country in recent years since recording an all-time high in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Analysis suggests this is down to both government and corporate actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A moratorium on logging in new palm oil plantations was made permanent in 2019, while efforts to monitor and limit fires have been reinforced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"839\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1024x839.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7949\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1024x839.png 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-600x492.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-300x246.png 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-768x630.png 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-696x571.png 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1068x875.png 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-512x420.png 512w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1320x1082.png 1320w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Indonesia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central.png 1348w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Data provided by World Resources Institute and Forest Watch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a similar story in Malaysia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In both countries, oil palm corporations are acting, with some 83% of palm oil refining capacity now operating under no deforestation, no peatland and no exploitation commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7950\" style=\"width:576px;height:344px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1068x601.png 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1920x1080.png 1920w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Malaysia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1320x743.png 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Data provided by World Resources Institute and <\/em>Forest <em>Watch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In Sarawak, Malaysia&#8217;s largest state, forests cover 91% of its land area \u2013 or about 9.57 million hectares of forest area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalforestwatch.org\/embed\/widget\/treeLossPct\/country\/MYS\/14\">it lost 59,000 hectares of natural forests, a drop of almost 300% from a decade ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/new-mtc-chairs-masterplan-for-sarawaks-forestry-sector\/\">Earlier this week<\/a>, Wood Central covered the Malaysian Timber Council&#8217;s master plan to invest in plantations using indigenous seedlings as part of their commitment to no deforestation commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Zainal Abidin Abdullah, the newly appointed MTC Chair, announces a 'Masterplan' for Sarawak\u2019s Forestry Sector.\" class=\"wp-image-7856\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-1068x713.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-629x420.jpg 629w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1-1320x881.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/The-MTC-Chair-Zainal-Abidin-Abdullah-who-was-appointed-as-Chair-of-the-Malaysian-Timber-Council-in-April-2023-Wood-Central-1.jpg 1530w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">On Monday Wood Central reported that Zainal Abidin Abdullah, the newly appointed MTC Chair, announced a &#8216;Masterplan&#8217; for Sarawak\u2019s forestry sector focused on plantation investment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The main drivers of deforestation is cocoa farming and palm oil<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>Commodity agriculture, palm oil and even the thriving balsa wood industry &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/how-balsa-trees-could-eliminate-mercury-use-in-gold-mining\/\">as reported by Wood Central yesterday<\/a> &#8211; are among the drivers of deforestation in the top 10 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"688\" height=\"406\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-10-countries-for-increase-in-primary-loss-as-of-2022-Wood-Central.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-10-countries-for-increase-in-primary-loss-as-of-2022-Wood-Central.png 688w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-10-countries-for-increase-in-primary-loss-as-of-2022-Wood-Central-600x354.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Top-10-countries-for-increase-in-primary-loss-as-of-2022-Wood-Central-300x177.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Data provided by World Resources Institute and <\/em>Forest <em>Watch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In Bolivia, one of the few countries not to sign the Glasgow Declaration, the country experienced a rapid acceleration of forest losses in 2022, up almost a third in a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Commodity agriculture is the primary driver, according to researchers. Since the turn of the century, soybean expansion has resulted in nearly a million hectares of deforestation in Bolivia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1068x601.png 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1920x1080.png 1920w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bolivia-primary-forest-loss-2002-2022-Wood-Central-1320x743.png 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Data provided by World Resources Institute and <\/em>Forest <em>Watch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Ghana in West Africa has only a small amount of primary forest remaining, it saw a massive 71% increase in losses in 2022, mostly in protected areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of these losses are close to existing cocoa farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Rod Taylor, the time for action on deforestation is now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the world wants to keep global temperatures under the critical 1.5C threshold, the time for action on forests is now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s an urgency to get a peak and decline in deforestation, even more urgent than the peak and decline in carbon emissions,&#8221; said Rod Taylor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Because once you lose forests, they&#8217;re much harder to recover. They&#8217;re kind of irrecoverable assets.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/worldwide-impact-eu-passes-law-banning-deforestation-products\/\">In May 2023<\/a>, the EU introduced a landmark regulation which makes companies responsible for ensuring their products do not contribute to deforestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Europeans have banned the sale of coffee, cocoa, cattle, palm oil, soy and wood connected to deforestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/worldwide-impact-eu-passes-law-banning-deforestation-products\/\">Wood Central has previously covered the law and how it works<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hansen-1024x576-1.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;This is a very strong result. We don't want to be complicit anymore in this global deforestation happening a little bit in Europe but first and foremost in other parts of the world,&quot; said the lead negotiator for the European Parliament, Christophe Hansen from the European People\u2019s Party after the vote. [Copyright: \u00a9 European Union 2023 - Source : EP]\" class=\"wp-image-5016\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hansen-1024x576-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hansen-1024x576-1-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hansen-1024x576-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hansen-1024x576-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hansen-1024x576-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Hansen-1024x576-1-747x420.jpg 747w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In May 2023, the European Commission approved the EUDR regulations, which will come into effect later this year. &#8220;This is a very strong result. We don&#8217;t want to be complicit anymore in this global deforestation happening in Europe but first and foremost in other parts of the world,&#8221; said the lead negotiator for the European Parliament, Christophe Hansen, from the European People\u2019s Party after the vote.  [Copyright: \u00a9 European Union 2023 &#8211; Source: EP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How is deforestation measured?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tree cover loss is analysed via satellite images &#8211; although there&#8217;s sometimes uncertainty about the precise year trees are lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Measuring deforestation &#8211; which typically refers to human-caused, permanent removal of natural forest cover &#8211; is more complicated because not all tree-cover loss counts as deforestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scientists try to consider all of these factors to come up with an estimate for deforestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest figures suggest a rise in (human-caused) global deforestation of about 3.6% in 2022 compared with 2021 &#8211; the opposite direction to the Glasgow commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/science-environment-66013854\">The BBC reports<\/a> that whilst losses of the critical primary tropical forests rose by nearly 10% in 2022, overall global tree cover loss from all causes fell by almost 10%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But researchers say this was because losses from forest fires were down in 2022, particularly in Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New research from the University of Maryland reports that an area of tropical forest the size of Switzerland was lost last year as tree losses surged. It means that a political commitment to end deforestation made at COP26 by world leaders is well off track. According to the university&#8217;s Forest Pulse, 11 football pitches of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[32,45,44],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[69],"class_list":{"0":"post-7942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-global-news","8":"category-sustainability","9":"category-sustainable-forest-management"},"authors":[{"term_id":69,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"woodcentral","display_name":"Wood Central","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MASTER-BRAND-MARK_POS_RGB-e1676449549955.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MASTER-BRAND-MARK_POS_RGB-e1676449549955.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7942"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23109,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7942\/revisions\/23109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7942"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}