IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007
Climate Change 2007: Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change

Status of the sector, development trends including production and consumption, and implications

Global forest cover is 3952 million ha (Table TS.12), about 30% of the world’s land area. Most relevant for the carbon cycle is that between 2000 and 2005 gross deforestation continued at a rate of 12.9 million ha/yr, mainly as a result of converting forests to agricultural land, but also due to expansion of settlements and infrastructure, often for logging. In the 1990s, gross deforestation was slightly higher, 13.1 million ha/yr. Due to afforestation, landscape restoration and natural expansion of forests, the net loss of forest between 2000 and 2005 was 7.3 million ha/yr, with the largest losses in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. This net rate of loss was lower than the 8.9 million ha/yr loss in the 1990s (medium agreement, medium evidence) [9.2.1].

Table TS.12: Estimates of forest area, net changes in forest area (negative numbers indicating decrease), carbon stock in living biomass and growing stock in 1990, 2000 and 2005 [Table 9.1].

Region Forest area (mill. ha) Annual change (mill. ha/yr) Carbon stock in living biomass (MtCO2) Growing stock in 2005 
2005 1990-2000 2000-2005 1990 2000 2005 (million m3) 
Africa 635.412 -4.4 -4.0 241267 228067 222933 64957 
Asia 571.577 -0.8 1.0 150700 130533 119533 47111 
Europe a) 1001.394 0.9 0.7 154000 158033 160967 107264 
North and Central America 705.849 -0.3 -0.3 150333 153633 155467 78582 
Oceania 206.254 -0.4 -0.4 42533 41800 41800 7361 
South America 831.540 -3.8 -4.3 358233 345400 335500 128944 
World 3952.026 -8.9 -7.3 1097067 1057467 1036200 434219 

Note:

a) including whole Russian Federation