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Biodiversity Conservation

This indicator measures the total extent of forests globally that are critical for conservation of biodiversity because it is currently not possible to measure changes in forest biodiversity directly. The indicator measures five categories of forest that are important for biodiversity conservation, which are not mutually exclusive (i.e., the same forest area may be measured in more than one category):

  • Forests with highly “intact” biodiversity; that is, forests where human activity has had the least impact on biodiversity
  • Forests that are highly “significant” for biodiversity; that is, forests that are disproportionately important for the concentration of species that they support
  • Forests within the habitat ranges of threatened, keystone species such as the tiger or orangutan
  • Forests in sites that are identified as important for the global persistence of biodiversity, such as Key Biodiversity Areas, which include Alliance for Zero Extinction sites
  • Forests that are legally recognized as protected areas, often for the purpose of biodiversity conservation, among other reasons

For all calculations, highly intact and highly significant refer to the top 10 percent of index values within both data sets. Habitat ranges analyzed include the Asian elephant, orangutan, and tiger, which were in the years 2008, 2017, and 2014, respectively. “Possibly extant” areas in Asian elephant range data were excluded from the analysis.

StatisticData SetMethod
As of 2018, 782 million hectares (Mha) of forests were considered to have highly intact biodiversity. Of these forests, 32 percent were legally protected ...Tree cover extent; biodiversity intactness; protected areasTree cover extent calculation in top 10 percent of biodiversity intactness area and protected areas
... 67 percent were located in the tropics, and two-thirds were found in only five countries: Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peru, and Russia.Tree cover extent; countries; biodiversity intactness; ecozoneTree cover extent calculation in top 10 percent of biodiversity intactness area and tropical ecozones, by country
As of 2018, 455 Mha of forests were considered to be highly significant for biodiversity. Of these forests, 24 percent were legally protected ...Tree cover extent; biodiversity significance; protected areasTree cover extent calculation in top 10 percent of biodiversity significance area and protected areas
... nearly 41 percent were on islands, and 25 percent were found within Australia, Brazil, and Indonesia.Tree cover extent; countries; biodiversity significanceTree cover extent calculation in top 10 percent of biodiversity significance area, by country
Islands only account for 11 percent of forest overall.Tree cover extent; countriesTree cover extent calculation by country, selecting for all islands (including Australia)
In 2023, forests that were highly significant for biodiversity had 2.6 Mha of forest loss, reducing their extent by half a percent. Of this loss, 29 percent occurred in Australia, Indonesia and Madagascar.Tree cover extent; tree cover loss; countries; biodiversity significanceTree cover extent and tree cover loss calculation in top 10 percent of biodiversity significance area, by country
11 percent of tree cover within Asian elephant ranges has been lost since 2000.Tree cover extent; tree cover loss; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened SpeciesTree cover extent and tree cover loss calculation in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Possibly extant” areas were excluded.
Only 8 percent of tree cover within these areas has highly intact biodiversity.Tree cover extent; biodiversity intactness; IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTree cover extent calculation in top 10 percent of biodiversity intactness area and IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
25 percent of tree cover within orangutan ranges has been lost since 2000.Tree cover extent, tree cover loss; IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTree cover extent and tree cover loss calculation in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Only 14 percent of tree cover within these areas has highly intact biodiversity.Tree cover extent; biodiversity intactness; IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTree cover extent calculation in top 10 percent of biodiversity intactness area and IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
8 percent of tree cover within tiger ranges has been lost since 2000.Tree cover extent; tree cover loss IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTree cover extent and tree cover loss calculation in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Only 6 percent of tree cover within these areas has highly intact biodiversity.Biodiversity intactness; IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesArea calculation in top 10 percent of biodiversity intactness area and IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
As of 2010, 446.9 Mha of tree cover—11 percent of tree cover globally—fell within Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), including Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites. In 2023, 1.8 Mha of this tree cover was lost.  Tree cover extent; tree cover loss; KBAsTree cover extent and tree cover loss calculation in 2010 tree cover extent and KBAs
Since 2001, tree cover loss in KBAs has increased an average of 7 percent per year, equivalent to 7 percent of tree cover extent in KBAs in 2000.Tree cover extent; tree cover loss; KBAsTree cover extent, tree cover loss and rate of tree cover loss calculation in KBAs 
Since 2001, tree cover loss in AZE sites has increased an average of 12 percent per year, equivalent to 9 percent of tree cover extent in AZE sites in 2000.Tree cover extent; tree cover loss; AZEsTree cover extent, tree cover loss and rate of tree cover loss calculation in AZEs 
Some 836 Mha of tree cover — 21 percent of global tree cover — fall within protected areas. In 2023, 3.8 Mha of this tree cover was lost including 0.69 Mha of primary forests and 1.3 Mha in intact forests.Tree cover extent; protected areasTree cover extent and tree cover loss calculation in protected areas
In strict nature reserves, wilderness areas, and national parks, tree cover loss has increased since 2001 by an average of 14 percent per year equivalent to 7 percent of tree cover extent in these areas in 2000.Tree cover extent; protected areasTree cover extent and tree cover loss calculation in IUCN Category I and II protected areas
Much of this increase is due to Australian wildfires in late 2019 and early 2020, which account for 62% of loss in these strict protected areas in 2019 and 2020, as well as Canadian wildfires in 2023, which account for 75 percent of loss in these areas in 2023.Tree cover extent; protected areasTree cover extent and tree cover loss calculation in IUCN Category I and II protected areas in Australia for 2019 and 2020 and Canada in 2023 divided by total tree cover loss in IUCN Category I and II protected areas in 2019, 2020 and 2023
{"Glossary":{"51":{"name":"agricultural tree crops","description":"Trees cultivated for their food, cultural, or economic values. These include oil palm, rubber, cocoa, cashew, mango, oranges (citrus), plantain, banana, and coconut.\r\n"},"141":{"name":"agroforestry","description":"A diversified set of agricultural or agropastoral production systems that integrate trees in the agricultural landscape.\r\n"},"101":{"name":"albedo","description":"The ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight.\u0026nbsp;Light-colored surfaces return a large part of the sunrays back to the atmosphere (high albedo). Dark surfaces absorb the rays from the sun (low albedo).\r\n"},"94":{"name":"biodiversity intactness","description":"The proportion and abundance of a location\u0027s original forest community (number of species and individuals) that remain.\u0026nbsp;\r\n"},"95":{"name":"biodiversity significance","description":"The importance of an area for the persistence of forest-dependent species based on range rarity.\r\n"},"142":{"name":"boundary plantings","description":"Trees planted along boundaries or property lines to mark them well.\r\n"},"98":{"name":"carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)","description":"Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is a measure used to aggregate emissions from various greenhouse gases (GHGs) on the basis of their 100-year global warming potentials by equating non-CO2 GHGs to the equivalent amount of CO2.\r\n"},"99":{"name":"CO2e","description":"Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is a measure used to aggregate emissions from various greenhouse gases (GHGs) on the basis of their 100-year global warming potentials by equating non-CO2 GHGs to the equivalent amount of CO2.\r\n"},"1":{"name":"deforestation","description":"The change from forest to another land cover or land use, such as forest to plantation or forest to urban area.\r\n"},"77":{"name":"deforested","description":"The change from forest to another land cover or land use, such as forest to plantation or forest to urban area.\r\n"},"76":{"name":"degradation","description":"The reduction in a forest\u2019s ability to perform ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and water regulation, due to natural and anthropogenic changes.\r\n"},"75":{"name":"degraded","description":"The reduction in a forest\u2019s ability to perform ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and water regulation, due to natural and anthropogenic changes.\r\n"},"79":{"name":"disturbances","description":"A discrete event that changes the structure of a forest ecosystem.\r\n"},"68":{"name":"disturbed","description":"A discrete event that changes the structure of a forest ecosystem.\r\n"},"65":{"name":"driver of tree cover loss","description":"The direct cause of forest disturbance.\r\n"},"70":{"name":"drivers of loss","description":"The direct cause of forest disturbance.\r\n"},"81":{"name":"drivers of tree cover loss","description":"The direct cause of forest disturbance.\r\n"},"102":{"name":"evapotranspiration","description":"When solar energy hitting a forest converts liquid water into water vapor (carrying energy as latent heat) through evaporation and transpiration.\r\n"},"2":{"name":"forest","description":"Forests include tree cover greater than 30 percent tree canopy density and greater than 5 meters in height as mapped at a 30-meter Landsat pixel scale.\r\n"},"3":{"name":"forest concession","description":"A legal agreement allowing an entity the right to manage a public forest for production purposes.\r\n"},"90":{"name":"forest concessions","description":"A legal agreement allowing an entity the right to manage a public forest for production purposes.\r\n"},"53":{"name":"forest degradation","description":"The reduction in a forest\u2019s ability to perform ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and water regulation, due to natural and anthropogenic changes.\r\n"},"54":{"name":"forest disturbance","description":"A discrete event that changes the structure of a forest ecosystem.\r\n"},"100":{"name":"forest disturbances","description":"A discrete event that changes the structure of a forest ecosystem.\r\n"},"5":{"name":"forest fragmentation","description":"The breaking of large, contiguous forests into smaller pieces, with other land cover types interspersed.\r\n"},"6":{"name":"forest management plan","description":"A plan that documents the stewardship and use of forests and other wooded land to meet environmental, economic, social, and cultural objectives. Such plans are typically implemented by companies in forest concessions.\r\n"},"62":{"name":"forests","description":"Forests include tree cover greater than 30 percent tree canopy density and greater than 5 meters in height as mapped at a 30-meter Landsat pixel scale.\r\n"},"69":{"name":"fragmentation","description":"The breaking of large, contiguous forests into smaller pieces, with other land cover types interspersed.\r\n"},"80":{"name":"fragmented","description":"The breaking of large, contiguous forests into smaller pieces, with other land cover types interspersed.\r\n"},"74":{"name":"gain","description":"The establishment of tree canopy in an area that previously had no tree cover. Tree cover gain may indicate a number of potential activities, including natural forest growth or the crop rotation cycle of tree plantations.\r\n"},"143":{"name":"global land squeeze","description":"Pressure on finite land resources to produce food, feed and fuel for a growing human population while also sustaining biodiversity and providing ecosystem services.\r\n"},"7":{"name":"hectare","description":"One hectare equals 100 square meters, 2.47 acres, or 0.01 square kilometers and is about the size of a rugby field. A football pitch is slightly smaller than a hectare (pitches are between 0.62 and 0.82 hectares).\r\n"},"66":{"name":"hectares","description":"One hectare equals 100 square meters, 2.47 acres, or 0.01 square kilometers and is about the size of a rugby field. A football pitch is slightly smaller than a hectare (pitches are between 0.62 and 0.82 hectares).\r\n"},"67":{"name":"intact","description":"A forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"78":{"name":"intact forest","description":"A forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"8":{"name":"intact forests","description":"A forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"55":{"name":"land and environmental defenders","description":"People who peacefully promote and protect rights related to land and\/or the environment.\r\n"},"9":{"name":"loss driver","description":"The direct cause of forest disturbance.\r\n"},"10":{"name":"low tree canopy density","description":"Less than 30 percent tree canopy density.\r\n"},"84":{"name":"managed forest concession","description":"Areas where governments have given rights to private companies to harvest timber and other wood products from natural forests on public lands.\r\n"},"83":{"name":"managed forest concession maps for nine countries","description":"Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Indonesia, Liberia, and the Republic of the Congo\r\n"},"104":{"name":"managed natural forests","description":"Naturally regenerated forests with signs of management, including logging, clear cuts, etc.\r\n"},"91":{"name":"megacities","description":"A city with more than 10 million people.\r\n"},"57":{"name":"megacity","description":"A city with more than 10 million people."},"56":{"name":"mosaic restoration","description":"Restoration that integrates trees into mixed-use landscapes, such as agricultural lands and settlements, where trees can support people through improved water quality, increased soil fertility, and other ecosystem services. This type of restoration is more likely in deforested or degraded forest landscapes with moderate population density (10\u2013100 people per square kilometer). "},"86":{"name":"natural","description":"A forest that is grown without human intervention.\r\n"},"12":{"name":"natural forest","description":"A forest that is grown without human intervention.\r\n"},"63":{"name":"natural forests","description":"A forest that is grown without human intervention.\r\n"},"144":{"name":"open canopy systems","description":"Individual tree crowns that do not overlap to form a continuous canopy layer.\r\n"},"82":{"name":"persistent gain","description":"Forests that have experienced one gain event from 2001 to 2016.\r\n"},"13":{"name":"persistent loss and gain","description":"Forests that have experienced one loss or one gain event from 2001 to 2016."},"97":{"name":"plantation","description":"An area in which trees have been planted, generally for commercial purposes.\u0026nbsp;\r\n"},"93":{"name":"plantations","description":"An area in which trees have been planted, generally for commercial purposes.\u0026nbsp;\r\n"},"88":{"name":"planted","description":"A forest composed of trees that have been deliberately planted and\/or seeded by humans.\r\n"},"14":{"name":"planted forest","description":"Stand of planted trees \u2014 other than tree crops \u2014 grown for wood and wood fiber production or for ecosystem protection against wind and\/or soil erosion.\r\n"},"73":{"name":"planted forests","description":"Stand of planted trees \u2014 other than tree crops \u2014 grown for wood and wood fiber production or for ecosystem protection against wind and\/or soil erosion."},"148":{"name":"planted trees","description":"Stand of trees established through planting, including both planted forest and tree crops."},"149":{"name":"Planted trees","description":"Stand of trees established through planting, including both planted forest and tree crops."},"15":{"name":"primary forest","description":"Old-growth forests that are typically high in carbon stock and rich in biodiversity. The GFR uses a humid tropical primary rainforest data set, representing forests in the humid tropics that have not been cleared in recent years.\r\n"},"64":{"name":"primary forests","description":"Old-growth forests that are typically high in carbon stock and rich in biodiversity. The GFR uses a humid tropical primary rainforest data set, representing forests in the humid tropics that have not been cleared in recent years.\r\n"},"58":{"name":"production forest","description":"A forest where the primary management objective is to produce timber, pulp, fuelwood, and\/or nonwood forest products."},"89":{"name":"production forests","description":"A forest where the primary management objective is to produce timber, pulp, fuelwood, and\/or nonwood forest products.\r\n"},"87":{"name":"seminatural","description":"A managed forest modified by humans, which can have a different species composition from surrounding natural forests.\r\n"},"59":{"name":"seminatural forests","description":"A managed forest modified by humans, which can have a different species composition from surrounding natural forests. "},"96":{"name":"shifting agriculture","description":"Temporary loss or permanent deforestation due to small- and medium-scale agriculture.\r\n"},"103":{"name":"surface roughness","description":"Surface roughness of forests creates\u0026nbsp;turbulence that slows near-surface winds and cools the land as it lifts heat from low-albedo leaves and moisture from evapotranspiration high into the atmosphere and slows otherwise-drying winds. \r\n"},"17":{"name":"tree cover","description":"All vegetation greater than five meters in height and may take the form of natural forests or plantations across a range of canopy densities. Unless otherwise specified, the GFR uses greater than 30 percent tree canopy density for calculations.\r\n"},"71":{"name":"tree cover canopy density is low","description":"Less than 30 percent tree canopy density.\r\n"},"60":{"name":"tree cover gain","description":"The establishment of tree canopy in an area that previously had no tree cover. Tree cover gain may indicate a number of potential activities, including natural forest growth or the crop rotation cycle of tree plantations.\u0026nbsp;As such, tree cover gain does not equate to restoration.\r\n"},"18":{"name":"tree cover loss","description":"The removal or mortality of tree cover, which can be due to a variety of factors, including mechanical harvesting, fire, disease, or storm damage. As such, loss does not equate to deforestation.\r\n"},"150":{"name":"tree crops","description":"Stand of perennial trees that produce agricultural products, such as rubber, oil palm, coffee, coconut, cocoa and orchards."},"19":{"name":"tree plantation","description":"An agricultural plantation of fast-growing tree species on short rotations for the production of timber, pulp, or fruit.\r\n"},"72":{"name":"tree plantations","description":"An agricultural plantation of fast-growing tree species on short rotations for the production of timber, pulp, or fruit.\r\n"},"85":{"name":"trees outside forests","description":"Trees found in urban areas, alongside roads, or within agricultural land\u0026nbsp;are often referred to as Trees Outside Forests (TOF).\u202f\r\n"},"151":{"name":"unmanaged","description":"Naturally regenerated forests without any signs of management, including primary forest."},"105":{"name":"unmanaged natural forests","description":"Naturally regenerated forests without any signs of management, including primary forest.\r\n"}}}