State of the World’s Forests 2026 : GS TIMES IAS-PCS

Why in News?

The FAO has released State of the World’s Forests 2026: Restoring Forests and Landscapes – The Way Forward for a Sustainable Future.
The report highlights that forests are degrading faster than they are recovering, with over 460 million hectares (mha) of degraded forests globally.

Salient Features

460+ mha of forests are degraded — about 5.2 times India’s area.
Over 10% of the world’s land (1.56 billion ha) is degraded.
Major drivers: climate change, population growth, urbanisation and infrastructure development.
Africa: About 334 mha (12%) of land was degraded in 2019.
Asia: About 583 mha (19%) of land was degraded.
Global forest area in 2025: 4.14 billion ha, or 32% of global land area.
Since 1990, around 489 mha of forests have been lost to deforestation.
Primary forests declined by about 110 mha between 1990 and 2025.
Forest degradation and deforestation threaten biodiversity, climate stability and land productivity.

State of the World’s Forests 2026