Making Sense of Global Deforestation

The word deforestation is often used as a large emotional container: it evokes powerful images—burning forests, bulldozers, fleeing animals. But precisely because it is so loaded with meaning, it risks becoming confusing. Making sense of it means distinguishing, measuring, contextualizing. And above all, understanding where, how, and why forests are disappearing—and where, instead, they are coming back.

According to the FAO, the planet has lost about 420 million hectares of forest since 1990—an enormous area, comparable to the entire European Union. At the same time, however, the global rate of deforestation is slowing, and in some parts of the world forest cover is increasing. Reality, as often happens, is more complex than a one-way narrative.

What deforestation is (and what it is not)

Deforestation does not simply mean “cutting down trees.” Technically, it refers to the permanent conversion of forest land to another use: agriculture, livestock farming, mining, infrastructure, urban areas.
This is a crucial point: a forest that is managed, harvested, and then regenerated is not deforestation. A forest cleared to make room for pastures, plantations, or roads is.

This distinction is fundamental because it helps clarify where action is needed: the problem is not the use of forest resources per se, but the irreversible loss of complex ecosystems.

At the global level, more than 90% of deforestation is linked to agricultural expansion. But behind this percentage lie very different dynamics:

• Intensive livestock farming (especially cattle)
• Industrial crops such as soy, oil palm, and cocoa
• Subsistence agriculture, particularly in some tropical areas
• Mining, infrastructure, and urbanization
• Fires, often intentional or linked to agricultural practices such as slash-and-burn, used to clear forest land for farming
  

Especially regarding agriculture and related fires, promoting agroforestry systems—as Treedom does—is one way to propose a far more sustainable agricultural practice.

As already noted, however, the relative weight of each factor changes radically from continent to continent. Let’s look at them in detail.

Central and South America: the Amazon as the global epicenter

South America has historically been the region with the greatest net forest loss. The heart of the problem is the Amazon, which alone accounts for a huge share of global tropical deforestation.

Here, the main driver is cattle ranching, followed by crops such as soy. Amazon deforestation is not random: it follows roads, economic incentives, and political cycles. In recent years, there have been mixed signals—periods of sharp slowdown alternating with new accelerations.

The stakes are enormous: the Amazon is not just a forest, but a climate system that influences rainfall, temperatures, and biodiversity on a continental and global scale.

Africa: the continent with the fastest-growing forest loss

If South America holds the historical record, Africa is now the continent where deforestation is growing fastest in percentage terms.

Here, the phenomenon is often linked to:

• strong demographic pressure
• subsistence agriculture
• the use of wood as an energy source

Asia and Oceania: between plantations and fires

In Asia, the picture is ambivalent. On the one hand, countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia have experienced massive losses of primary forest, mainly due to the expansion of oil palm plantations. On the other hand, some Asian nations show net reforestation figures, often linked to very aggressive state policies.

In Oceania, the case of Australia is emblematic: the loss of tree cover is strongly influenced by extreme fires, made more frequent and intense by climate change. Here, the boundary between deforestation, forest degradation, and climatic events is increasingly blurred.

Europe and North America: more trees, but fewer “natural” forests

Europe and North America tell a different story. Overall, forest area has been increasing for decades. This figure is often cited as a positive sign—and in part, it is.

But there is an important caveat: much of these new forests are managed, sometimes monocultural, with an ecological value very different from that of primary tropical forests. Increasing the number of trees does not automatically mean rebuilding complex ecosystems.

Deforestation and climate: a direct link

Forests absorb about one third of the CO₂ emissions generated by human activities each year. When a forest is destroyed, it not only loses this capacity but also releases the carbon stored within it into the atmosphere.

According to the most widely accepted estimates, deforestation accounts for about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing it is not a “secondary” action in the fight against climate change—it is a central, immediate, and powerful lever.

Making sense also means avoiding oversimplification

Talking about global deforestation without distinguishing between continents, causes, and contexts risks producing narratives that are either unnecessarily accusatory or, conversely, self-absolving.
The problem is not “humanity” in the abstract, but well-identified economic models, political choices, supply chains, and consumption behaviors.

At the same time, there are encouraging signs: better monitoring systems, international commitments, reforestation initiatives, and sustainable forest management. The challenge is not only to stop the loss, but to rethink the relationship between forests, the economy, and human well-being.

Conclusion: why talk about it today

Making sense of deforestation means recognizing that there is not a single story, but many intertwined stories. Some speak of accelerated destruction, others of slow recovery, and others still of fragile balances.

Understanding these differences is the first step toward acting effectively. Because forests are not just trees: they are climate, life, communities, and the future. And they deserve to be told with the complexity that makes them so fundamental.