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Dynamics of global forest area: Results from the FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015
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The area of land covered by forest and trees is an important indicator of environmental condition. This study presents and analyses results from the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 (FRA 2015) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FRA 2015 was based on responses to surveys by individual countries using a common reporting framework, agreed definitions and reporting standards. Results indicated that total forest area declined by 3%, from 4128 M ha in 1990 to 3999 M ha in 2015. The annual rate of net forest loss halved from 7.3 M ha y−1 in the 1990s to 3.3 M ha y−1 between 2010 and 2015. Natural forest area declined from 3961 M ha to 3721 M ha between 1990 and 2015, while planted forest (including rubber plantations) increased from 168 M ha to 278 M ha. From 2010 to 2015, tropical forest area declined at a rate of 5.5 M ha y−1 – only 58% of the rate in the 1990s – while temperate forest area expanded at a rate of 2.2 M ha y−1. Boreal and sub-tropical forest areas showed little net change. Forest area expanded in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, East Asia, and Western-Central Asia, but declined in Central America, South America, South and Southeast Asia and all three regions in Africa. Analysis indicates that, between 1990 and 2015, 13 tropical countries may have either passed through their forest transitions from net forest loss to net forest expansion, or continued along the path of forest expansion that follows these transitions. Comparing FRA 2015 statistics with the findings of global and pan-tropical remote-sensing forest area surveys was challenging, due to differences in assessment periods, the definitions of forest and remote sensing methods. More investment in national and global forest monitoring is needed to provide better support for international initiatives to increase sustainable forest management and reduce forest loss, particularly in tropical countries.
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“and the increased extent of temperate and boreal forests ( 28 ) has been accompanied by increased fragmentation and changes in function [such as carbon storage ( 29 )].”
From Pervasive human-driven decline of life on Earth points to the need for transformative change (2019) · cites this paper as [28]
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“In relative terms, the forests of Central Africa, especially in the Democratic republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo have been comparatively well preserved (Hansen et al 2013, Keenan et al 2015).”
From The impact of deforestation on rainfall in Africa: a data-driven assessment (2021) · cites this paper as Keenan et al 2015
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Metadata
- Authors
- Keenan, R. J., Reams, G. A., Achard, F., de Freitas, J. V., Grainger, A., & Lindquist, E.
- Affiliations
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- US Forest Service (US)
- European Commission (BE)
- University of Leeds (GB)
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Keenan, Rodney J.
- Venue
- Forest Ecology and Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-09
- Volume
- 352
- Pages
- 9-20
- ISSN
- 0378-1127 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1214056855
- Cited by
- 1,656
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 67 · 2025: 141 · 2024: 148 · 2023: 180 · 2022: 163 · 2021: 216 · 2020: 209 · 2019: 226 · 2018: 157 · 2017: 92 · 2016: 41 · 2015: 14
- FWCI
- 82.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Forest Ecology and Management (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- Joint Research Centre (European Commission) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Forestry › Forest Management and Policy
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Forestry › Forest ecology and management
- Keywords
- forest loss, forest expansion, natural forests, forest plantations, rubber plantations, tropical forests, temperate forests, boreal forest, forest transition, forest monitoring, sustainable forest management
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