5 countries with the highest forest area in the world
Forests play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, supporting biodiversity, and mitigating climate change.
Globally, approximately 31% of Earth's land area is covered by forests. However, deforestation remains a significant concern, with 21 countries losing more than 25% of their forest cover since 1990.
Several countries, still, boast vast forested areas, contributing significantly to the world's total forest cover.
Here are some of the countries with the highest forest areas:
Suriname: 97.3% of the country's land is lush forest.
Guyana: Guyana's forests cover 93.5% of land.
Micronesia: Micronesia has a 92.1% of forest area.
Gabon: Just like the countries mentioned earlier, Gabon has a large forest area which covers 91.3%
Palau: Palau's forests span 90.2% of the country's land area.
Around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to deforestation and forest degradation. The 2019 IPCC special report on Climate Change and Land emphasised that planting new forests and protecting existing ones are crucial strategies for limiting global warming to 1.5ºC or well below a 2ºC increase.
