Between 1980 and 2010, Belize lost one fifth of its forest cover to deforestation. Several drivers have contributed to this forest loss, including agricultural expansion, illegal and unsustainable logging and forest fires. Population growth and the expansion of rural and urban housing have also placed pressure on Belize’s forest lands.

The highest historical rates of deforestation in Nepal are found in the country’s Terai Arc Landscape along the foothills of the Himalayas in the southernmost part of Nepal. The Terai region is home to 20% of Nepal’s forests, and deforestation and forest degradation in this region have been driven primarily by illegal logging, fuelwood extraction, cattle ranching and overgrazing, agricultural expansion, forest fires, and infrastructure development.

Uganda’s forest cover has declined from 35% to 15% over the past 100 years, with an estimated forest cover loss of 88,000 ha per year. Increasing agricultural activities and weak forest governance are putting pressure on forest resources and forest lands. Other drivers of deforestation in Uganda include charcoal production, firewood harvesting, livestock grazing, timber production, and human settlement and urbanization.

Mozambique is one the few sub-Saharan countries with a significant portion of natural forest covering 51% of its territory (40.6 million hectares). However, deforestation and forest degradation have been increasing in recent years, due to several direct drivers of deforestation including small-scale agriculture, charcoal production, timber exploitation and illegal logging.

Thailand’s landscape is a complex mosaic of agriculture and forests. Since the 1960s, the country has seen an overall decrease in forest cover from 53% to 31%. Population growth has increased demand for forest and agricultural products which has contributed to the country’s rising levels of deforestation and forest degradation. Continued deforestation is expected to adversely affect the livelihoods of a large number of forest-dependent people as well as Thailand’s environmental sustainability. 

Tanzania is endowed with 35.3 million ha of rich forest resources including woodlands, coastal forests, mangrove swamps, tropical rainforest and grassland savannas. These resources are however threatened by shifting cultivation, wildfires, illegal logging, mining and fuel wood extraction, as well as the more recent introduction of large-scale bio-fuel farming. 

Forests are virtually everywhere in Suriname, covering 95% of the country’s total land area. While Suriname has a relatively low rate of deforestation, timber production has dramatically increased in recent years. Together with active mining and agriculture sectors, Suriname is now at an early stage of the forest transition curve, with deforestation and related emissions expected to rise in the coming years.

Paraguay’s small and open economy is heavily dependent on commodity exports, in particular soy and beef, which account for close to 50% of total exports. These economic activities, among other drivers, have contributed to significant deforestation and degradation in the Alto Paraná Atlantic Forests (Paraguay’s largest continuous forest formation), as well as the deterioration of other natural resources and biodiversity.

Peru has approximately 73 million ha of forests, of which almost 69 million hectares or 94% of total land area are found in the country’s Amazon region. On a global scale, Peru’s extensive forests rank ninth in the world in terms of forest cover, fourth in terms of tropical forests, and second among the Amazonian countries. Although Peru has extensive forests, they contribute little to the national economy. Forest management has been historically been weak, resulting in inadequate forestry budgets and the conversion of the forests into focal points of social conflict.

Madagascar is one of eight largest biodiversity hotspots in the world, and is considered a priority conservation area due to a disconcerting number of species threatened with extinction. Despite major biodiversity conservation efforts, ecosystems in the country’s eastern forest are so fragmented and degraded that many native large animal species have been lost. Madagascar’s direct drivers of deforestation include small-scale agriculture, energy production, artisanal and illegal mining, forest harvesting, and livestock practices.