Forests Worldwide

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Forest elephants appreciate the mineral-rich mud of this natural clearing in the rainforest.

Eight thousand years ago, large tracts of ancient forest covered almost half the earth's land area. Today, only one-fifth of the original forests remain as large areas of ancient forest. The rest have been destroyed, degraded or fragmented by relentless human activity.

In the last 50 years, 20 percent of the world's ancient forests have been cleared. The primary causes of forest loss and degradation vary from region to region. They include agricultural expansion, mining, settlement, shifting agriculture, plantation establishment and infrastructural development.

Much forest destruction is illegal and is a growing international crisis. Some estimates suggest that the illegal timber trade may comprise over a tenth of the total global timber trade, worth more than $150 billion a year. Not only are there serious environmental impacts, but the social problems associated with unsustainable and illegal logging are far-reaching. Child and forced labor, abuse of indigenous land rights, and unsafe working conditions are not uncommon practice in the worldwide timber industry.

Greenpeace is working around the world to protect the last remaining ancient forests. Follow these links for more information: