In 2019 a primary forest soccer field disappeared every 6 seconds

Whether cut down or burned down - the destruction of the last untouched forests on earth hardly seems to stop. Only twice in this millennium has more jungle been destroyed than last year. The forests of Brazil are particularly hard hit.

Washington (dpa) - The extent of the disappearance of untouched forest landscapes was according to a study last year at the third highest level since the beginning of the new millennium.

In total, around 11.9 million hectares of tropical jungle were cut down or burned down in 2019, of which around 3.8 million hectares include untouched primary forest, which is particularly important for biodiversity, the World Resources Institute said in Washington on Tuesday. That corresponds approximately to a soccer field primary forest every six seconds, it said. Only in 2016 and 2017 have so far more untouched forest landscapes disappeared in this millennium.

A lot of primary forest disappeared in Brazil (around 1.4 million hectares), Indonesia (324,000 hectares) and the Congo (475,000 hectares). Bolivia and Australia have lost more forest to fire than ever since records began.

Since 2014, numerous conservation organizations under the leadership of the World Resources Institute have been using the Global Forest Watch platform to monitor changes in forest landscapes worldwide, including with satellite technology.

Global Forest Watch