DANGEROUS DESTRUCTION OF FORESTS

Part - I

The total forest area of the world is 4.06 billion hectares. This constitutes approximately 5,000 m² per person. More than half of the world's forests are located in five countries, Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, USA and China. Deforestation and forest degradation continue to take place at alarming rates, which contributes significantly to the ongoing loss of biodiversity. Since 1990, it is estimated that 420 million hectares of forest have been lost through conversion to other land uses. Between 2015 and 2020, the rate of deforestation was estimated at 10 million hectares per year. The area of primary forest worldwide has decreased by over 80 million hectares since 1990.

It is not only the trees that make a forest, but many different species of plants and animals that reside in the soil, under storey and canopy. Total number of species on earth estimate to range from 3 million to 100 million (May 2010). While trees are the defining components of forests and their diversity can give an indication of overall diversity. The Global Tree Search database reports the existence of 60,082 tree species. 45% of all tree species are just members of just 10 families. Nearly 58% of all tree species are single-country endemics. As of December 2019, a total of 20,334  tree species had been included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, of which 8,056 are assessed as critically endangered. More than 1,400 tree species are assessed as critically endangered and in urgent need of  conservation action.

................to be continued.

(Indebted to the report of Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations)

KV George

kvgeorgein@gmail.com