Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020)-Key Findings.
Global Forest Resources Assessment is published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) reports on the status and trends of the world’s forest resources. It is led by the Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.It is published every five years.
- The world’s forest area is decreasing,but the rate of loss has slowed.While forest area has declined all across the world in the past three decades, the rate of forest loss has decline due to the growth of sustainable managment.The rate of forest loss in 2015-2020 declined to an estimated 10 million hectares (mha), down from 12 million hectares (mha) in 2010-2015, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020).
- FRA is the mechanism for collecting data on two forest-related indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 2015. Specifically, data submitted to FRA contribute to reporting on SDG indicator 15.1.1 (forest area as a proportion of total land area in 2015) and indicator 15.2.1 (progress towards sustainable forest management).
- Forests cover nearly one-third of the land globally.More than half (54 percent) of the world’s forests is in only five countries – the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America and China.
(Source:Global Forest Resources Assessment Report 2020)
- The rate of net forest loss decreased substantially over the period 1990–2020 due to a reduction in deforestation in some countries, plus increases in forest area in others through afforestation and the natural expansion of forests.
- FAO defines deforestation as the conversion of forest to other land uses (regardless
of whether it is human-induced). “Deforestation” is the sum of all forest losses (deforestation) and all forest gains (forest expansion) in a given period. - Total forest carbon stock is decreasing
Most forest carbon is found in the living biomass (44 percent) and soil organic matter (45 percent), with the remainder in dead wood and litter. The total carbon stock in forests decreased from 668 gigatonnes in 1990 to 662 gigatonnes in 2020
- Africa had the largest annual rate of net forest loss in 2010–2020 followed by South America.
- Asia had the highest net gain of forest area in 2010–2020, followed by Oceania and Europe
- More than 90 percent of the world’s forests have regenerated naturally
- Plantations account for about 3 percent of the world’s forests. The highest share of plantation forest is in South America.Plantation forests are intensively managed, composed of one or two species, even-aged, planted with regular spacing, and established mainly for productive purposes. Other planted forests, which comprise 55 percent of all planted forests, are not intensively managed, and they may resemble natural forests at stand maturity.
- The world still has at least 1.11 billion ha of primary forest – that is, forests composed of native species in which there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and the ecological processes have not been significantly disturbed. Combined, three countries – Brazil, Canada and the Russian Federation – host more than half (61 percent) of the world’s primary forest.
- The world’s forests are mostly publicly owned,but the share of privately owned forests has increased since 1990.
- Following the recommendations from the 23rd session of the Committee of Forestry (COFO), FRA 2020 conducted a participatory global remote sensing survey (FRA 2020 RSS) with the scope of improving estimates of forest area change at global and regional scales.
About FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates to “let there be bread”
Composed of 197 member states, the FAO is governed by a biennial conference representing each member country and the European Union, which elects a 49-member executive council.
The FAO is headquartered in Rome, Italy and maintains regional and field offices around the world, operating in over 130 countries.
It helps governments and development agencies coordinate their activities to improve and develop agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources. It also conducts research, provides technical assistance to projects, operates educational and training programs, and collects data on agricultural output, production, and developmen