Doubling of annual forest carbon loss over the tropics during the early twenty-first century

Previous estimates of tropical forest carbon loss in the twenty-first century using satellite data typically focus on its magnitude, whereas regional loss trajectories and associated drivers are rarely reported. Here we used different high-resolution satellite datasets to show a doubling of gross tropical forest carbon loss worldwide from 0.97 +/- 0.16 PgC yr(-1) in 2001-2005 to 1.99 +/- 0.13 PgC yr(-1) in 2015-2019. This increase in carbon loss from forest conversion is higher than in bookkeeping models forced by land-use statistical data, which show no trend or a slight decline in land-use emissions in the early twenty-first century. Most (82%) of the forest carbon loss is at some stages associated with large-scale commodity or small-scale agriculture activities, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia. We find that similar to 70% of former forest lands converted to agriculture in 2001-2019 remained so in 2020, confirming a dominant role of agriculture in long-term pan-tropical carbon reductions on formerly forested landscapes. The acceleration and high rate of forest carbon loss in the twenty-first century suggest that existing strategies to reduce forest loss are not successful; and this failure underscores the importance of monitoring deforestation trends following the new pledges made in Glasgow.

Automated summary

This study used high-resolution satellite data to show the doubling of global tropical forest carbon loss in the twenty-first century, primarily driven by large-scale commodity and small-scale agriculture activities. The findings highlight the failure of existing strategies to reduce forest loss and the importance of monitoring deforestation trends.