Angola's Forests Under Threat: Recent Fire Incident Highlights Ongoing Environmental Challenges

Angola's Forests Under Threat: Recent Fire Incident Highlights Ongoing Environmental Challenges

Angola has witnessed a concerning trend of tree cover loss over the past two decades, with recent data indicating a single fire incident in the Cuando Cubango Province. This incident adds to the cumulative environmental challenges facing the nation's forests. Angola, with an area of over 124 million hectares, has a significant tree cover extent of approximately 55 million hectares. However, the country has experienced a net change in tree cover characterized by a loss of over 3.40 million hectares and a gain of around 1.20 million hectares, leading to a net loss of approximately 2.20 million hectares, which translates to a 4.40% decrease in tree cover.

The primary driver of tree cover loss has been shifting agriculture, responsible for the majority of the deforestation. Other contributing factors include forestry practices, wildfires, and urbanization, although the latter's impact remains unspecified in the data. The loss of tree cover has significant implications for carbon emissions, with millions of metric tons of CO2 equivalent released into the atmosphere as a result of these activities.