South Africa has experienced significant tree cover loss over the past two decades, with a net decrease of 1.86%. The country's tree cover extent, which spans over 5.98 million hectares, has seen a loss of approximately 530,016 hectares, while gains were reported at 388,239 hectares. Notably, disturbances have affected over 1.28 million hectares of tree cover.
Forestry activities have been the primary driver of tree cover loss, followed by shifting agriculture. Urbanization and wildfires also contributed to the loss, albeit to a lesser extent. The latest incident in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, adds to the ongoing challenge of managing tree cover and mitigating fire incidents.
Explore country profileThe impact of these losses is significant, considering the country's total area of over 121 million hectares. The data suggests a need for strategic conservation efforts to address the drivers of tree cover loss and enhance the resilience of South Africa's landscapes against incidents like wildfires.
