Global Forest Watch News

This is the first in a two-part series about advances in mapping technology and how they're being used to keep a closer eye on the world's forests. Read the second…

China's Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia to its north and east, contains 18.5 million hectares of state forest - more natural forest than any other province in the country. However,…

Since the 1950s, plantations and second-growth forests in China have been locally managed by village communities as collective forests, which today account for 58 percent of China's forestland. Many of…

Deforestation near Lake Sentani, Papua. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Despite being covered in commodity concessions and viewed by some as becoming a focal point for the Indonesian government’s palm…

Coffee-growing is an important part of the economy of Semende. Photo by R. Ridzki Sigit. The rolling green hills covered in rice paddies and coffee plantations give Semende in the…

Borneo consistently makes the list of the world’s “biodiversity hotspots” – areas full of a wide variety of forms of life found nowhere else, but which are also under threat.…

Climate change could make life more difficult for the world’s rarest chimpanzee subspecies, reported a team of scientists in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology on Tuesday. The range of the…

Screenshot of Wilmar's transparency dashboard Wilmar, the world's largest palm oil company, has unveiled a tool it says will help eliminate deforestation from its global supply chain. The tool is…

A resident of Indudur at work in the fields. Photo by Diana Elviza. The forest behind Indudur village clings to the steep hillside. The topography itself is enough to protect…

A new study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examines how California’s forests have changed since the 1930s--and, according to its authors, can help us understand…

Aiming to be the world’s largest purveyor of sustainable cacao, a company is developing a plantation in the Amazon that scientists say comes at the expense of primary forest A…

Deforestation in Riau, Sumatra in 2014. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. When Indonesia's former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared a moratorium in May 2012 on the issuance of new permits…

Forest loss in five Malaysian states affected by flooding in Dec 2015. Five states hard hit by flooding last month in Malaysia had high rates of forest loss in recent…

A Cerekang district resident in a traditional canoe, which is a major mode of local transportation. Photo by Eko Rusdianto. Home to some 400 fishermen, Manurung village appears unremarkable at…

A farmer from the village of Pamulukkang with his cocoa tree. Photo by Revelation Chandra. Irda tends to his two-hectare timber plantation in Pamulukkang Forest at the base of Tanete…

The rainforests of South America face many threats. The deforestation occurring on the continent is among the highest in the world and results in losses of habitat, biodiversity and massive…

The village of Ngata Toro abuts protected forest in Lore Lindu National Park. Photo by Chris Paino. Ngata Toro borders Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi about a three-hour…

Namu village is surrounded by forested hills between Lore Lindu National Park and a conservation forest. They recently regained access to the forest, which they depend on for their way…

Cleared forest near the village of Tumbang Bahanei in the province of Central Kalimantan. Residents are trying to stop timber companies from encroaching on their land. Photo by Indra Nugraha.…

Community-maintained forest in Delang District, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo by Revelation Chandra. "We are treated like criminals caught stealing our own land," M. Basri told Mongabay-Indonesia. The acting village head…

Community-maintained forest in Delang District, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo by Indra Nugraha. Delang district is different than many parts of Central Kalimantan. Namely, on the drive in from Nangabulik, you…

A kekalik fruit tree grows in a "dahas" agroforestry plot in West Kalimantan. Photo by Andi Fachrizal. The road winds five kilometers through a thick canopy of trees before ending…

Forest surrounding the Wata Ata region in Flores, Indonesia. Photo by Anton Muhajir. Located on the slopes of Inerie Mountain on the island of Flores in Indonesia, farmers in Bajawa…

While Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL) has made some strides towards becoming more environmentally conscious, conservation organizations are still concerned about continued deforestation as demand for dissolving pulp grows. Graffiti on…

2014 could be classified as "The Year of the Zero Deforestation Commitment". During 2014, nearly two dozen major companies, ranging from palm oil producers to fast food chains to toothpaste…

Shell of Margaritifera laosensis specimen from the river Nam Long. Photo by Bolotov et al. Margaritifera laosensis is the only freshwater pearl mussel species known to inhabit tropical water systems,…

This is the first part in a two-part series examining the planned expansion of palm oil production on the island of Palawan. Read the first part here. Plans to convert…

This is the first part in a two-part series examining the planned expansion of palm oil production on the island of Palawan. Read the second part here. In June, the…

Conversion of rainforest in Sabah, Malaysia for palm oil production. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. A team of researchers has identified 125 million hectares (309 million acres) of land suitable…

Captive breeding program increases Puerto Rican crested toad from 200 to thousands The Puerto Rican crested toad (Peltophryne lemur) has had a miraculous journey. Once common on the islands of…