The world's forests continue to shrink as populations increase and forest land is converted to agriculture and other uses, but over the past 25 years the rate of net global deforestation has slowed down by more than 50 percent, FAO said in a report recently. Some 129 million hectares of forest - an area almost equivalent in size to South Africa - have been lost since 1990, according to FAO's most comprehensive forest review to date, The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2015.
It is noted however, that an increasing amount of forest areas have come under protection while more countries are improving forest management. This is often done through legislation and includes the measuring and monitoring of forest resources and a greater involvement of local communities in planning and in developing policies.
While in 1990 forests made up 31.6 percent of the word's land areas, or some 4,128 million hectares, this has changed to 30.6 percent in 2015, or some 3,999 million hectares, according to FRA. Meanwhile, the net annual rate of forest loss has slowed from 0.18 percent in the early 1990s to 0.08 percent during the period 2010-2015. Today, the bulk (93 percent) of the world's forest area is natural forest - a category that includes primary forest areas where human disturbances have been minimised, as well as secondary forest areas that have regenerated naturally.
Planted forest, another subcategory, currently accounts for 7 percent of the world's overall forest area, having increased by over 110 million hectares since 1990. FAO's report stresses the critical importance of forests to people, the environment, and the global economy. The forest sector contributes about $600 billion annually to global GDP and provides employment to over 50 million people.
Globally, the report added, natural forest area is decreasing and planted forest area is increasing and while most forests remain publicly owned, ownership by individuals and communities has increased. In all cases FAO stresses the importance of sustainable forest management practices. Natural forests, the least touched by humankind, contribute to conserving genotypes - the genetic constitutions of organisms - and in maintaining the composition of natural tree species while providing vital habitats to endangered animal species.
Forests help replenish groundwater supplies crucial for drinking, agriculture and other uses. They also protect soils from erosion, avalanches and landslides. Planted forests, for their part, are often established for production and where well-managed can provide various forest goods and service and help reduce the pressure on natural forests.
This must also be seen in the context of the increase in global wood consumption and the continued widespread reliance on wood fuel. Deforestation and forest degradation increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but forest and tree growth absorbs carbon dioxide which is the main greenhouse gas. FAO notes how a more sustainable management of forests will result in a reduction in carbon emissions from forests and has a vital role to play in addressing the impacts of climate change. FAO has estimated that total carbon emissions from forests decreased by more than 25 percent between 2001 and 2015, mainly due to a slowdown in global deforestation rates, the report added.