In a recent incident, Spain faced a wildfire in the Castile and León region, marking a continued struggle against environmental disturbances. Spain, with an area of over 50 million hectares, has a significant tree cover extent of approximately 11 million hectares. Over the past two decades, the country has experienced a fluctuating trend in tree cover loss, with a notable increase in recent years. The year 2022 witnessed the highest tree cover loss of over 137,000 hectares, a concerning figure when compared to the early 2000s.
The primary drivers of tree cover loss in Spain have been identified as forestry activities, accounting for the majority of the loss, followed by shifting agriculture, wildfires, and urbanization. Wildfires alone have contributed to a substantial portion of the emissions and loss, with over 23,000 hectares affected in 2022. Despite these challenges, Spain has seen a net gain in tree cover, with a total gain of over 381,000 hectares against a loss of approximately 348,000 hectares, indicating some level of recovery and reforestation efforts.
Explore country profileThe net change in tree cover shows a positive trend with a 0.25% increase, suggesting that the country's efforts to mitigate tree cover loss may be having an effect. However, the persistent incidents of wildfires and the impact of other drivers of deforestation underscore the need for continued and enhanced conservation strategies to protect Spain's valuable forests and combat climate change.
