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Picture Courtesy: Down to Earth

Context:

According to a 2025 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), around 391 million hectares of tropical forests—nearly one-fourth of the world’s total 1.6 billion hectares of tropical forest area—are at high risk of deforestation. These forests support approximately 53 million people living within 5 km of forest zones.

What Are Tropical Forests?

Tropical forests are dense, warm, and wet forests located near the Equator, typically between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. They are characterized by high rainfall (over 2000 mm annually) and consistent temperatures (25–30°C) throughout the year.

Importance of Tropical forests:

• High Biodiversity: They host over 50% of the world’s terrestrial species, making them the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. 

• Climate and Rainfall: Receive 2000–4000 mm of rainfall annually, distributed fairly evenly through the year.  

• Dense Vegetation: Multi-layered canopy structure — emergent, canopy, understory, and forest floor — allows different species to thrive. 

• Stable Climate: Temperatures remain warm and stable, rarely dropping below 20°C.  

Why these forests matter?

Tropical forests play a critical role in climate regulation, carbon storage, water security, and livelihoods. They absorb nearly 13.1 ± 1.4 gigatonnes of CO₂ annually, which is about half of the world’s fossil fuel emissions.
They also:

• Recycle 10–14% of rainfall, maintaining river flows and water supplies.
• Retain about 3 million tonnes of nitrogen annually, preventing water pollution.
• Prevent 527 million tonnes of soil and sediment from washing into rivers — equivalent to 150,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
• Protect around $81 billion in GDP by reducing the impacts of floods, landslides, and storms.

(Source: UNEP, 2025 – “High-risk forests, high-value returns” report) 

Threats to tropical forests:

• Agricultural Expansion: Agricultural expansion remains the leading cause of tropical deforestation, accounting for around 86% of annual forest loss worldwide. (Source: Down To Earth, 2024) 

• Forest Fires (Often Human-Caused): In 2024, nearly half of the total tropical primary forest loss was caused by fires, marking an 80% increase compared to 2023. (Source: World Resources Institute, 2025)  

• Mining and Mineral Extraction: Between 2000 and 2019, industrial mining activities directly caused the loss of approximately 3,264 km² of tropical forests, with indirect damage from roads and settlements worsening the impact. (Source: PubMed, 2024) 

• Forest Fragmentation: Nearly 80% of tropical forests have become fragmented over the past two decades, mainly due to shifting agriculture, which contributes about 61% of the fragmentation. (Source: Down To Earth, 2025) 

• Climate Change and Drought Stress: Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns—often intensified by climate change and El Niño events—increase the risk of forest fires and droughts, reducing regeneration capacity and threatening long-term forest stability.
  (Source: World Resources Institute, 2025) 

Measures to stop tropical forests loss:

Way Forward:

• International partnerships such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) should be expanded to mobilize more finance for conservation. According to UNEP (2025), global forest protection requires $460 billion per year in climate and ecosystem investments to meet the 2030 forest sustainability targets. (Source: UNEP, High-Risk Forests Report 2025) 

• Governments should implement payment-for-ecosystem-services (PES) models, offering financial rewards to farmers and communities that protect forest cover. (Source: FAO)
• Strengthening land rights for Indigenous Peoples can significantly reduce forest loss.
  Areas under Indigenous management show 50% lower deforestation rates and higher biodiversity levels compared to non-Indigenous lands, as per WRI (2024). 

• The use of satellite monitoring and AI tools like Global Forest Watch 2.0 helps detect illegal logging within days. (Source: WRI, Global Forest Review 2025) 

• Countries should integrate forest ecosystem values into GDP and economic planning using Natural Capital Accounting (NCA). The World Bank (2024) estimates that forest degradation leads to $81 billion in annual GDP losses globally due to soil erosion, floods, and carbon loss. (Source: World Bank, The Changing Wealth of Nations 2024) 

Source: Down to Earth