This table presents the forest land area (in millions of hectares) across six continents (excluding Antarctica), where Oceania includes Australia and its nearby islands.
Overall, Asia and Europe clearly experienced an increase in the proportion of forested land, while Africa, North America, Oceania, and South America saw a decrease. These trends are likely to continue in the future.
In 1990, Europe boasted the world’s largest forested area at 989 million hectares, exceeding South America’s 946 million hectares. Similarly, Asia experienced a growth in forest land, increasing from 576 million hectares in 1990 to 584 million hectares by 2005. Europe’s forests continued to expand noticeably, reaching 998 million hectares in 2000 and 1001 million hectares in 2005.
Oceania and Africa, however, faced a decline in forest cover. Oceania’s forested area decreased from 199 million hectares in 1990 to 198 million in 2000, with a projected further decrease to 197 million in 2005. Africa suffered a more drastic loss, falling from 749 million hectares in 1990 to 709 million in 2000, ultimately plummeting to 691 million in 2005. In contrast, Asia’s forested area experienced minor fluctuations, initially decreasing by 6 million hectares between 1990 and 2000, then recovering to 580 million hectares in 2005.