Despite all international agreements to combat deforestation, more forests were lost around the world last year than the year before. This can be inferred from the annual a report About this topic from a coalition of environmental organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Last year, about 6.6 million hectares of forest were lost worldwide, 4 percent more than in 2021. Most of the deforestation occurred in tropical rainforests. About 4.1 million hectares of forest have been lost there.

More than 140 countries agreed at the 2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow to effectively combat deforestation. The promise is that deforestation should stop by 2030. 350 million hectares of damaged landscapes must also be restored by then, but currently deforestation and damage to the landscape is increasing.

The report identifies agriculture, road building, forest fires and commercial logging as the main causes of deforestation. “Forests around the world are in crisis. We are running out of opportunities to make progress,” warns the environmental group Focus Climate.

According to the report, saving primary tropical forests is 33 percent behind schedule, which could have serious consequences for biodiversity. In addition, these forests are important in combating greenhouse gas emissions, because they retain much more carbon dioxide than younger forests. If deforestation is not halted, it could have a major impact on global measures to combat climate change.

Although the report describes an alarming increase in deforestation, the situation is not entirely hopeless, says lead author Franziska Haupt of Focus on Climate. About 50 countries are already on track to stop deforestation, and countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia have made great strides in combating the destruction of forest areas. “Other countries should follow these countries’ example.”