Mozambique Battles Tree Cover Loss with a Single Fire Incident in Cabo Delgado

Mozambique Battles Tree Cover Loss with a Single Fire Incident in Cabo Delgado

Mozambique has experienced a significant loss of tree cover over the past two decades. The country, which spans over 78 million hectares, has a tree cover extent of approximately 28.90 million hectares. However, recent data reveals a worrying trend of deforestation, primarily driven by shifting agriculture, which accounts for the vast majority of the tree cover loss.

From 2001 to 2022, Mozambique lost over 4.80 million hectares of tree cover, which is a notable 10.20% decrease in its forest extent. Shifting agriculture remained the predominant cause, with urbanization and forestry also contributing to the loss, albeit to a much lesser extent. The impact of this deforestation is substantial, with millions of metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions released into the atmosphere.