(ANSA) - GLASGOW, 02 NOV - Every year in the world an average of 10 million hectares of forests disappear.
The data on global deforestation is provided by the FAO, the UN agency for agriculture.
The average of 10 million hectares per year covers the years 2015 to 2020. In the previous five years, the pace of deforestation had been even greater, by 12 million hectares per year.
But the forests are a big meatball for our atmofesta. They are because they absorb Co2 but, to tell the truth, even the undergrowth and fallen branches trap carbon dioxide, removing it from the atmosphere. Not all species are the same but, according to some estimates, a tree can absorb between 10 and 30 kilograms of CO2 per year if it grows in the city and between 20 and 50 kilograms per year if it grows in a natural context. This is why they are a tool to reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
According to the FAO, there are now 4.06 billion hectares of forest on our planet, equal to 0.52 hectares per person.
Nearly a third of the world's land surface is covered by forests, which provide a host of materials, services, natural beauty and support millions of livelihoods.
However, deforestation is not homogeneous in the world: in the last ten years the forest area has increased in Asia, Oceania and Europe, while the highest rate of net deforestation was recorded in Africa, followed by South America.
Primary forests cover around 1.11 billion hectares today. About 30% of all forests are mainly used for making wood and non-wood products.
Fortunately, the FAO records, the share of forests primarily intended for soil and water protection is increasing.
Most of the forest area - 93% of the total - is made up of naturally regenerating forests, while the rest is planted.
However, total forest carbon reserves are decreasing due to the reduction in forest area.
One of the most affected areas is the Amazon.
According to the NGO Imazon (Institute of Man and the Environment), between August 2020 and July of this year 10,476 square km were destroyed, an area 57% larger than the previous year and the most great since 2012. (ANSA).