<p>Join our webinar for an overview of the satellite imagery and resources available on GFW. We will be joined by partners from KSAT and Planet to share how this satellite imagery can help users investigate what’s happening in the world’s forests. <a href="https://wri.zoom.us/webinar/register/7617086143771/WN_8_Q9dGGwQT2mqRpd4LgRZA" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Register here!</a></p>


Investigating Deforestation with Satellite Imagery

Climate

Learn about the role forests play in the global climate.

Climate | Global Forest Watch Blog

Data and Research

GFW is first and foremost a data-driven platform. Read the latest forest research and analysis.

Data and Research | Global Forest Watch Blog

carbon

carbon | Global Forest Watch Blog

Carbon Sequestration

Carbon Sequestration | Global Forest Watch Blog

climate change

climate change | Global Forest Watch Blog

Emissions

Emissions | Global Forest Watch Blog

natural regeneration

natural regeneration | Global Forest Watch Blog

Reforestation

Reforestation | Global Forest Watch Blog

Nancy Harris

Susan Cook-Patton

David Gibbs

Kristine Lister

<p>There’s increasing recognition of how nature can help tackle the climate crisis. From protecting standing forests to planting new trees, forests offer significant climate mitigation benefits. Now, new research shows that letting forests regrow on their own could be a secret weapon to fighting climate change.</p>



<p>Experts at WRI, The Nature Conservancy and other institutions mapped potential rates of carbon capture from “natural forest regrowth” – a restoration method distinct from active tree-planting – initiatives where trees are allowed to grow back on lands previously cleared for agriculture and other purposes. The results, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2686-x" target="_blank">published in <em>Nature</em></a> and available on <a href="https://gfw.global/3ndMdVE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Forest Watch </a> show that letting forests regrow naturally has the potential to absorb up to 8.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year through 2050, while still maintaining native grasslands and current levels of food production.<strong> That’s the equivalent of soaking up 23% of global emissions from the atmosphere every year. </strong></p>



<p>This is on top of the carbon sequestration already provided by existing forests, which currently absorb around 30% of CO2 emissions each year.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="natural forest regrowth could capture 23% of all carbon emissions" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Carbon_Emissions_natural_forest_regeneration_WRI.png" width="100%"></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Benefits of balancing reforestation and natural forest regrowth</h3>



<p>While decarbonization of fossil fuels and other industrial emissions remain essential pieces of the emissions-reduction puzzle, nature also has a major role to play. The United Nations declared the 2020s as the “Decade of Ecosystem Restoration,” calling for massive restoration of degraded lands to help with climate change mitigation.</p>



<p>It’s a powerful message, but too often “<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/02/want-grow-trees-consider-these-5-lessons" target="_blank">tree restoration</a>” is seen as synonymous with “tree-planting.” For example, a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01026-8#ref-CR2" target="_blank">close look</a> at a selection of national restoration commitments made under the Bonn Challenge, UN REDD+ program, Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, and other schemes reveals that almost half of the current land area slated for restoration in these countries is set to become plantations of commercial trees. Balancing active reforestation of commercial species with natural forest regrowth could make for a more effective approach in terms of both carbon and biodiversity. </p>



<p>The map generated for the recent <em>Nature</em> study can help identify locations where natural forest regrowth has high climate mitigation potential, to be considered alongside active tree-planting initiatives. There are many advantages to letting forests recover on their own: it’s often cheaper and more likely to benefit native wildlife. The new map, viewed alongside other information on the local socioeconomic setting and alternative uses for the land, can provide context for optimizing where to let nature take the lead.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Previous IPCC carbon sequestration estimates are too low</h3>



<p>This latest study shows that potential rates of carbon capture from natural forest regrowth are far higher than previously estimated.</p>



<p>For decades, ecologists have collected data on the ground at different locations around the world about how quickly previously forested areas return to forest and recover carbon after agricultural abandonment or other disturbance. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) periodically compiles these measurements by general ecosystem type to provide default rates, which many countries use to estimate how much carbon dioxides their forests remove from the atmosphere each year as they compile greenhouse gas inventories and set climate mitigation commitments. </p>



<p>The new study found that these generalized IPCC defaults underestimate carbon sequestration rates in young forests by 32% globally, and by <em>a full 50%</em> for tropical forests. This is because the new map captures spatial variability in rates across a landscape much better than a smattering of hard-won field plots can; it’s simply not feasible or cost-effective to measure carbon everywhere. </p>



<p>By using IPCC defaults, many governments may be underestimating the benefits of natural forest regrowth for capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and thus underappreciating its power as a climate change solution.</p>



<iframe loading="lazy" width="670" height="490" frameborder="0" src="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/embed/map/global/?map=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%3D%3D"></iframe>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where does natural forest regrowth have the most carbon-removal potential?</h3>



<p>Rates at which young forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere vary by orders of magnitude around the world; tropical countries in West and Central Africa have the highest rates, while countries in Central Europe and the Middle East have the lowest. And while carbon accumulation rates are usually highest in warmer, wetter climates, they can also vary dramatically at local scales, for example with three-fold variation across Colombia alone.</p>



<iframe loading="lazy" width="670" height="490" frameborder="0" src="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/embed/map/global/?map=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%3D%3D"></iframe>



<p>By harmonizing detailed carbon measurements collected at different locations around the world and combining them with cutting-edge machine learning methods, the new map takes into account how 66 environmental variables influence forest growth rates — everything from topography to daily temperature range to soil texture. This new geospatial information is now easily accessible to governments, civil society organizations and companies via Global Forest Watch.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Forests can help with climate change mitigation and more</h3>



<p>Letting previously forested land recover carbon naturally can contribute to the 730 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide the IPCC says must be removed from the atmosphere by the end of this century to avert the worst effects of climate change. Increasing forest cover can also bring additional benefits beyond climate change mitigation, such as preventing floods, regulating rainfall, slowing biodiversity loss, and sustaining traditional ways of life and economies. </p>



<p>Equipped with a more detailed understanding of forests’ potential to capture carbon dioxide, officials can make rapid assessments on how to best use land for the greatest climate return.&nbsp;</p>



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”="">
 

Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/09/carbon-sequestration-natural-forest-regrowth" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WRI Insights</a>. 
 

</div> 

 

<hr>



<style type="text/css"></style>

Young Forests Capture Carbon Quicker than Previously Thought

<p>There’s increasing recognition of how nature can help tackle the climate crisis. From protecting standing forests to planting new trees, forests offer significant climate mitigation benefits. Now, new research shows that letting forests regrow on their own could be a secret weapon to fighting climate change.</p>



<p>Experts at WRI, The Nature Conservancy and other institutions mapped potential rates of carbon capture from “natural forest regrowth” – a restoration method distinct from active tree-planting – initiatives where trees are allowed to grow back on lands previously cleared for agriculture and other purposes. The results, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2686-x" target="_blank">published in <em>Nature</em></a> and available on <a href="https://gfw.global/3ndMdVE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Forest Watch </a> show that letting forests regrow naturally has the potential to absorb up to 8.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year through 2050, while still maintaining native grasslands and current levels of food production.<strong> That’s the equivalent of soaking up 23% of global emissions from the atmosphere every year. </strong></p>



<p>This is on top of the carbon sequestration already provided by existing forests, which currently absorb around 30% of CO2 emissions each year.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="natural forest regrowth could capture 23% of all carbon emissions" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Carbon_Emissions_natural_forest_regeneration_WRI.png" width="100%"></div>



<h3>Benefits of balancing reforestation and natural forest regrowth</h3>



<p>While decarbonization of fossil fuels and other industrial emissions remain essential pieces of the emissions-reduction puzzle, nature also has a major role to play. The United Nations declared the 2020s as the “Decade of Ecosystem Restoration,” calling for massive restoration of degraded lands to help with climate change mitigation.</p>



<p>It’s a powerful message, but too often “<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/02/want-grow-trees-consider-these-5-lessons" target="_blank">tree restoration</a>” is seen as synonymous with “tree-planting.” For example, a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01026-8#ref-CR2" target="_blank">close look</a> at a selection of national restoration commitments made under the Bonn Challenge, UN REDD+ program, Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, and other schemes reveals that almost half of the current land area slated for restoration in these countries is set to become plantations of commercial trees. Balancing active reforestation of commercial species with natural forest regrowth could make for a more effective approach in terms of both carbon and biodiversity. </p>



<p>The map generated for the recent <em>Nature</em> study can help identify locations where natural forest regrowth has high climate mitigation potential, to be considered alongside active tree-planting initiatives. There are many advantages to letting forests recover on their own: it’s often cheaper and more likely to benefit native wildlife. The new map, viewed alongside other information on the local socioeconomic setting and alternative uses for the land, can provide context for optimizing where to let nature take the lead.</p>



<h3>Previous IPCC carbon sequestration estimates are too low</h3>



<p>This latest study shows that potential rates of carbon capture from natural forest regrowth are far higher than previously estimated.</p>



<p>For decades, ecologists have collected data on the ground at different locations around the world about how quickly previously forested areas return to forest and recover carbon after agricultural abandonment or other disturbance. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) periodically compiles these measurements by general ecosystem type to provide default rates, which many countries use to estimate how much carbon dioxides their forests remove from the atmosphere each year as they compile greenhouse gas inventories and set climate mitigation commitments. </p>



<p>The new study found that these generalized IPCC defaults underestimate carbon sequestration rates in young forests by 32% globally, and by <em>a full 50%</em> for tropical forests. This is because the new map captures spatial variability in rates across a landscape much better than a smattering of hard-won field plots can; it’s simply not feasible or cost-effective to measure carbon everywhere. </p>



<p>By using IPCC defaults, many governments may be underestimating the benefits of natural forest regrowth for capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and thus underappreciating its power as a climate change solution.</p>



<iframe width="670" height="490" frameborder="0" src="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/embed/map/global/?map=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%3D%3D"></iframe>



<h3>Where does natural forest regrowth have the most carbon-removal potential?</h3>



<p>Rates at which young forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere vary by orders of magnitude around the world; tropical countries in West and Central Africa have the highest rates, while countries in Central Europe and the Middle East have the lowest. And while carbon accumulation rates are usually highest in warmer, wetter climates, they can also vary dramatically at local scales, for example with three-fold variation across Colombia alone.</p>



<iframe width="670" height="490" frameborder="0" src="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/embed/map/global/?map=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%3D%3D"></iframe>



<p>By harmonizing detailed carbon measurements collected at different locations around the world and combining them with cutting-edge machine learning methods, the new map takes into account how 66 environmental variables influence forest growth rates — everything from topography to daily temperature range to soil texture. This new geospatial information is now easily accessible to governments, civil society organizations and companies via Global Forest Watch.</p>



<h3>Forests can help with climate change mitigation and more</h3>



<p>Letting previously forested land recover carbon naturally can contribute to the 730 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide the IPCC says must be removed from the atmosphere by the end of this century to avert the worst effects of climate change. Increasing forest cover can also bring additional benefits beyond climate change mitigation, such as preventing floods, regulating rainfall, slowing biodiversity loss, and sustaining traditional ways of life and economies. </p>



<p>Equipped with a more detailed understanding of forests’ potential to capture carbon dioxide, officials can make rapid assessments on how to best use land for the greatest climate return.&nbsp;</p>



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”="">
 

Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/09/carbon-sequestration-natural-forest-regrowth" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WRI Insights</a>. 
 

</div> 

 

<hr>

New research shows natural forest regrowth, as opposed to reforestation by tree planting, can capture more carbon dioxide from the air than previously thought.

Natural Forest Regrowth and Carbon Capture | Global Forest Watch Blog

Comment

Global Forest Watch Content

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Sarah Ruiz

Chiapas

Campeche

Campeche | Global Forest Watch Blog

Chiapas | Global Forest Watch Blog

deforestation

deforestation | Global Forest Watch Blog

mexico

mexico | Global Forest Watch Blog

Oaxaca

Oaxaca | Global Forest Watch Blog

restoration

restoration | Global Forest Watch Blog

Shifting Agriculture

Shifting Agriculture | Global Forest Watch Blog

tree cover loss

tree cover loss | Global Forest Watch Blog

Veracruz

Veracruz | Global Forest Watch Blog

Valeria López-Portillo

Mauricio Mondragón

<p>Despite efforts to reduce deforestation, tree cover loss in the tropics has increased during the last decade. Conversion of forests for agriculture and logging continue to propel large-scale deforestation.</p>



<p>Data from Global Forest Watch (GFW) shows more than 24.7 million hectares of tree cover were lost around the world in 2018, an area approximately the size of Great Britain. Nearly half of this loss, about 12 million hectares, occurred in the tropics.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Global deforestation" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/19_Blog-GFW_2018_FINAL-01.png" width="100%"></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">How did Mexico’s forests fare?</h3>



<p>Mexico lost over 267,000 hectares in 2018, placing it in the top twenty countries with highest loss. Loss in 2018 was the third highest in the last decade for Mexico. &nbsp;</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Tree cover loss in Mexico" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Finalgraph19_Blog_GFW-Mexico2.png" width="100%"></div>



<p>Roughly one third of Mexico’s territory is covered by forests and the loss in 2018 represents a 0.5 percent loss of the country’s total forest cover.  Four states in the south of the country — Chiapas, Campeche, Oaxaca and Veracruz — comprised more than half of the national loss. Chiapas alone lost 54,000 hectares, accounting for 20 percent of the total national loss. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">What is driving loss in southern states?</h3>



<p>The biggest drivers of forest degradation and tree cover loss include overexploitation and illegal logging, disease, pressure from growing populations, forest fires and clearing for livestock ranches or agriculture. Mexico’s current institutional and legal framework prioritizes agriculture over sustainable forestry. In 2017, four municipalities that form the protected Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve received 1.25 million pesos (about $65,100 USD) from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="http://bit.ly/2XFXfK5" target="_blank">convert land into avocado orchards</a>. Insecurity over land tenure and the lack of effective management plans have also <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.fao.org/3/j2215s/j2215s06.htm" target="_blank">presented a challenge</a> for the forestry sector. </p>



<p>With the exception of Campeche, the states with the highest tree cover loss also top the list of states with the lowest Human Development Index (HDI)— a measure developed the United Nations to assess quality of life. About 80 percent of Mexico’s forests are communally owned, connecting the populations of these regions directly to the nation’s forest resources. These communal lands, or ejidos, present an opportunity to address both environment and development concerns through practices such as agroforestry and sustainable forest management. </p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="tree cover loss in top 10 mexican states" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/FinalGraph19_Blog_GFW-Mexican-State-Top103.png" width="100%"></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">How is WRI Mexico working to protect forests from further loss?</h3>



<p>At the Paris Climate Conference in 2015, Mexico committed to a net zero deforestation rate by 2030, as well as being part of the <a href="http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Bonn Challenge</a>, a global effort to restore 150 million hectares of forests by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. </p>



<p>WRI Mexico’s Forests Program work has been supporting these by both advocating for public policy that aligns with conservation and restoration objectives and increasing private sector involvement in these objectives. One pilot project will monitor for changes in tree cover in the highly biodiverse <a href="http://bit.ly/2NFGlHZ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Selva Lacandona</a>, with the goal of promoting early action when deforestation is detected and designing public policy based on the data. This pilot could also be expanded to a national level with the creation of a Forest Atlas that incorporates government data with GFW’s near-real-time alerts to help reduce deforestation in the years to come. </p>



<p>As WRI Mexico continues to support forest conservation and restoration, GFW will provide the necessary data to monitor the progress of forest initiatives. To explore the current state of Mexico’s forests visit the <a href="http://bit.ly/327n7Ow" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">GFW Map</a>. </p>



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BANNER PHOTO: Forested mountainside in Chiapas.<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/darij/3617716440/in/photolist-6vFK4o-d7n5wS-58zWuK-58EayA-58uUYi-F1nEc-58v7eT-58CHqb-58z4qD-d7n5i3-4FB11u-58yd72-NDFDz-9novyC-8ZLJSu-8ZLK8o-NDDzv-8ZLKHq-NDCQU-r91VFY-qyHZbR-8ZHDR6-8ZLLdh-d7mLvd-8ZLKyA-8ZHD4Z-8ZHEE8-8ZHDza-d7mMWq-d7mMtu-NEBPB-NE1XQ-NEzpk-d7mGwS-vPKfn-8ZLKXU-d7mFbm-8ZLK1U-NEbY3-d7mJTE-8ZHDPT-d7mNJf-d7mPLG-8PxVj-8ZLK3f-2aiY75k-d7mL81-RH9yE-8ZLLoL-vPKfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Darij & Ana/Flickr</a>. 

 

Adapted and translated from a blog on <a href="https://wrimexico.org/bloga/reporta-global-forest-watch-m%C3%A1ximos-en-p%C3%A9rdida-de-cobertura-forestal-desde-2001" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WRI Insights Mexico.</a> 


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GFW Technology Offers Options to Combat Mexico’s High Rate of Tree Cover Loss

<p>Despite efforts to reduce deforestation, tree cover loss in the tropics has increased during the last decade. Conversion of forests for agriculture and logging continue to propel large-scale deforestation.</p>



<p>Data from Global Forest Watch (GFW) shows more than 24.7 million hectares of tree cover were lost around the world in 2018, an area approximately the size of Great Britain. Nearly half of this loss, about 12 million hectares, occurred in the tropics.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Global deforestation" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/19_Blog-GFW_2018_FINAL-01.png" width="100%"></div>



<h3>How did Mexico's forests fare?</h3>



<p>Mexico lost over 267,000 hectares in 2018, placing it in the top twenty countries with highest loss. Loss in 2018 was the third highest in the last decade for Mexico. &nbsp;</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Tree cover loss in Mexico" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Finalgraph19_Blog_GFW-Mexico2.png" width="100%"></div>



<p>Roughly one third of Mexico’s territory is covered by forests and the loss in 2018 represents a 0.5 percent loss of the country's total forest cover.  Four states in the south of the country — Chiapas, Campeche, Oaxaca and Veracruz — comprised more than half of the national loss. Chiapas alone lost 54,000 hectares, accounting for 20 percent of the total national loss. </p>



<h3>What is driving loss in southern states?</h3>



<p>The biggest drivers of forest degradation and tree cover loss include overexploitation and illegal logging, disease, pressure from growing populations, forest fires and clearing for livestock ranches or agriculture. Mexico’s current institutional and legal framework prioritizes agriculture over sustainable forestry. In 2017, four municipalities that form the protected Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve received 1.25 million pesos (about $65,100 USD) from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="http://bit.ly/2XFXfK5" target="_blank">convert land into avocado orchards</a>. Insecurity over land tenure and the lack of effective management plans have also <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.fao.org/3/j2215s/j2215s06.htm" target="_blank">presented a challenge</a> for the forestry sector. </p>



<p>With the exception of Campeche, the states with the highest tree cover loss also top the list of states with the lowest Human Development Index (HDI)— a measure developed the United Nations to assess quality of life. About 80 percent of Mexico’s forests are communally owned, connecting the populations of these regions directly to the nation’s forest resources. These communal lands, or ejidos, present an opportunity to address both environment and development concerns through practices such as agroforestry and sustainable forest management. </p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="tree cover loss in top 10 mexican states" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/FinalGraph19_Blog_GFW-Mexican-State-Top103.png" width="100%"></div>



<h3>How is WRI Mexico working to protect forests from further loss?</h3>



<p>At the Paris Climate Conference in 2015, Mexico committed to a net zero deforestation rate by 2030, as well as being part of the <a href="http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Bonn Challenge</a>, a global effort to restore 150 million hectares of forests by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. </p>



<p>WRI Mexico’s Forests Program work has been supporting these by both advocating for public policy that aligns with conservation and restoration objectives and increasing private sector involvement in these objectives. One pilot project will monitor for changes in tree cover in the highly biodiverse <a href="http://bit.ly/2NFGlHZ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Selva Lacandona</a>, with the goal of promoting early action when deforestation is detected and designing public policy based on the data. This pilot could also be expanded to a national level with the creation of a Forest Atlas that incorporates government data with GFW’s near-real-time alerts to help reduce deforestation in the years to come. </p>



<p>As WRI Mexico continues to support forest conservation and restoration, GFW will provide the necessary data to monitor the progress of forest initiatives. To explore the current state of Mexico’s forests visit the <a href="http://bit.ly/327n7Ow" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">GFW Map</a>. </p>



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BANNER PHOTO: Forested mountainside in Chiapas.<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/darij/3617716440/in/photolist-6vFK4o-d7n5wS-58zWuK-58EayA-58uUYi-F1nEc-58v7eT-58CHqb-58z4qD-d7n5i3-4FB11u-58yd72-NDFDz-9novyC-8ZLJSu-8ZLK8o-NDDzv-8ZLKHq-NDCQU-r91VFY-qyHZbR-8ZHDR6-8ZLLdh-d7mLvd-8ZLKyA-8ZHD4Z-8ZHEE8-8ZHDza-d7mMWq-d7mMtu-NEBPB-NE1XQ-NEzpk-d7mGwS-vPKfn-8ZLKXU-d7mFbm-8ZLK1U-NEbY3-d7mJTE-8ZHDPT-d7mNJf-d7mPLG-8PxVj-8ZLK3f-2aiY75k-d7mL81-RH9yE-8ZLLoL-vPKfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Darij &amp; Ana/Flickr</a>. 

 

Adapted and translated from a blog on <a href="https://wrimexico.org/bloga/reporta-global-forest-watch-m%C3%A1ximos-en-p%C3%A9rdida-de-cobertura-forestal-desde-2001" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WRI Insights Mexico.</a> 


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GFW Technology Offers Options to Combat Mexico's High Rate of Tree Cover Loss

Mexico lost over 267,000 hectares in 2018, placing it in the top twenty countries with highest loss. Loss in 2018 was the third highest in the last decade for Mexico.

GFW Technology Offers Options to Combat Mexico's High Rate of Tree Cover Loss | Data and Research | Global Forest Watch Blog

GFW Technology Offers Options to Combat Mexico&#8217;s High Rate of Tree Cover Loss

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Young Forests Capture Carbon Quicker than Previously Thought

GFW Technology Offers Options to Combat Mexico’s High Rate of Tree Cover Loss