where is the majority of deforestation currently taking place
Deforestation by region Africa is suffering deforestation at twice the world rate, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).[2][3][4] Some sources claim that deforestation has already wiped out roughly 90% of West Africa's original forests.[5][6] Deforestation is accelerating in Central Africa.[7] According to the FAO, Africa lost the highest percentage of tropical forests of any continent during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.[8] According to the figures from the FAO (1997), only 22.8% of West Africa's moist forests remain, much of this degraded.[9] Nigeria has lost 81% of its old-growth forests in just 15 years (1990â€“2005).[10] Massive deforestation threatens food security in some African countries.[11] One factor contributing to the continent's high rates of deforestation is the dependence of 90% of its population on wood as fuel for heating and cooking.[12]
Evergreen forest Tropical evergreen forests (or tropical rain forests) are usually found in areas receiving more than 234 cm of rainfall and having a monthly mean temperature of 18 Â°C or higher in the coldest months. They occupy about seven percent of the Earth's surface and harbour more than half of the planet's terrestrial plants and animals. Tropical evergreen forests are dense, multi-layered, and harbour many types of plants and animals. These forest are found in the areas receiving heavy rainfall (more than 200 cm annual rainfall). They are very dense. Even the sunlight does not reach the ground. Numerous species of trees are found in these forests. Different types of trees shed there leaves at different times of the year. Therefore, these forests always appear green and are known as evergreen forests. These forests are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, along the slopes of Western Ghats and parts of Northeastern states of Assam, West Bengal and Odisha. These areas experience hot and humid climate with short dry season. The important trees of these forests are rosewood, ebony and mahogany.