During the past two decades both primary
forest and total forest cover expanded in
the Asian and Pacific region. In the same
period, however, two thirds of countries
in the region experienced an increase in
the number of threatened species and
South-East Asia lost nearly one seventh of
its forest cover.
In recent years, forests and biodiversity have
gained recognition as international development
issues as evidenced through the United Nations
declaration of 2011 as the International Year
of Forests (to promote sustainable forest
management, conservation and development of
all types of forests);1 and 2011-2020 as the
United Nations Decade of Biodiversity.2
Forests impact many aspects of economic and
social development. Economic activities related
to forests influence the life of 1.6 billion people
globally3. Additionally, forests play a major role
in the mitigation and attenuation of the effects
of climate change. Deforestation and forest
degradation account for up to 20% of global
greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to
global warming;3 and the carbon stored in forests
exceeds the amount of carbon currently in the
atmosphere. Forests are also central in the
protection of biodiversity as they provide habitats
for about two thirds of all species on earth and
nearly 80% of all terrestrial biodiversity.4 Forests
and the people depending on them are under
increasing pressure because of land-use changes
due to agriculture (for example, for biofuel
production), human settlements, unsustainable
logging and inefficient soil management.
Forest Area
The surface area covered by Asian and Pacific
forests has been estimated at 15.9 million square
kilometres (approximately equal to the total land
area of the Russian Federation). Around 31% of
the total land area of the region is covered by
forest (the same as the global proportion).
Overall, South-East Asia has lost 13% of its forest
area over the past 20 years, making it a major
contributor to the global deforestation (at 3.0%)
over the same period. The net loss of forest in
South-East Asia amounted to 332,000 square
kilometres, an area roughly equal to the size of
Viet Nam. Indonesia was the most significant
contributor to the loss of forest in South-East
Asia with a net loss of 241,000 square kilometres.
According to the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook,5
South-East Asia is being so severely deforested
because the growing population depends heavily
on timber for livelihood; wood for fuel; and new
land to convert into agricultural and industrial
estates.
Pressure on forests is also evident outside of
South-East Asia, particularly in Pakistan and the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, where
more than 30% of forest has been lost since
1990. Deforestation is highest in low-income
countries, which is of particular concern since
low-income, rural communities are the most
affected by deforestation as they often depend
directly on the ecosystem services provided by
forests.
Figure II.15 – Proportion of land area covered
by forests, by income group, Asia and the
Pacific, 1990-2010
Figure II.16 – Proportion of land area covered by forests, by subregion of Asia and the Pacific, 1990-2010
Although South-East Asia and the Pacific have
experienced large declines in forest area, same. This is primarily due to China (in East and
North-East Asia), which has invested heavily in
plantation and natural regeneration of forests.
Since 1990 the area under forest cover in China
has increased by 5.4% (a land area equivalent to
the surface of Thailand). Regional plantation
forests make up almost the same area as primary
forests, the highest proportion in the world and three times the global proportion. Planting rates
in China were the highest in the world in 2010.
Figure II.17 – Proportion of primary, naturally
regenerated and planted forest, Asia and the
Pacific, 2010
Primary Forest
The proportion of primary forest within forests
is a key indicator of ecosystem health. Primary
forests are biodiversity-rich and may provide
specific benefits for the livelihoods of rural
communities. In Asia and the Pacific, total forest cover is expanding while the proportion of
primary forest area is declining; this complex
relationship is detailed in the 2010 Global Forest
Resources Assessment of FAO6 which provides
a picture of the changes in Asian and Pacific
forests.
The 2010 figures show that 34% of the world’s
forestland is primary as compared to 25% in Asia
and the Pacific. The largest regional stocks are
situated in the Russian Federation, Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea, India, China and Thailand.
In some countries total forest area may not be
rapidly declining (or may even be expanding),
but the loss of primary forest may still pose
a threat to ecosystem health. In 2010, after
decades of deforestation, Viet Nam’s and
Cambodia’s primary forest coverage fell below 1%
and 4% of total forest area, respectively. Papua
New Guinea and Mongolia have also experienced
large losses (more than 10%) in the primary
forest area in the last two decades.
Other protected areas
Terrestrial areas protected include forests,
swamps, plains and desert areas. After a rapid
increase between 1990 and 2005, the share of
terrestrial protected areas reached a plateau
between 2005 and 2009. With the notable and
positive exception of Kiribati, the proportion of
protected areas has not increased since this date
in any Asian or Pacific country. The share of
terrestrial areas protected in Asia and the Pacific
is one of the lowest in the world, barely exceeding
10% of total surface area; it equals the African
percentage and is more than 2 percentage points
below the world’s average.
In terms of marine areas protected, the Asia and
the Pacific experienced rapid growth between
1990 and 2009, with the protected surface area
reaching 5.0% of the territorial water area in
2009 (up from 2.0% in 1990). The percentage
of marine areas protected remains correlated to
the level of income of the respective country, with
richer countries generally achieving a higher
proportion. Australia and Kiribati lead the way, with respectively 28% and 20% of their total
marine areas protected.
Figure II.18 – Average annual growth rates of
forest areas, Asia and the Pacific, 1990-2000 and
2005-2010
Those numbers fall vastly short of the Strategic
Plan objectives adopted in 2010 as an outcome
of the tenth meeting at Nagoya, Japan, of the
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity. One of the primary aims of
the Plan is to “improve the status of biodiversity
by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity”.7 To achieve this goal, an increase in the
terrestrial areas protected to 17% and coastal and
marine areas to 10% is targeted by 2020. Since
the expansion of protected areas between 1990
and 2005, progress has since slowed considerably,
and the road to reach the Nagoya objectives
remains long.
Biodiversity
The Asian and Pacific region accounts for nearly
one third of all the threatened species in the
world.5 In the last two years (2008 to 2010), two
thirds of countries in the region have experienced
an increase in the number of threatened species
– the greatest increase is in India where 99 species
have been added to the threatened species list.
While noting the difficulty in comparing
numbers of threatened species (which are a
product of the number and extent of biodiversity
surveys; and other factors), this is a substantial
increase in the number of threatened species
reported since 2008.
The ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook spotlights
South-East Asia as a primary terrestrial and
marine biodiversity “hotspot”. While occupying
only 6.0% of the earth’s surface, the region
embraces more than 18% of all species listed by
the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) and one third of the world’s coral
reefs. But regional biodiversity loss has increased
at an alarming rate and affects such ecosystems
as forests, agro-ecosystems, peat-lands, freshwater
systems, mangroves, coral reefs and sea-grass.
Figure II.19 – Threatened species, Asia and the
Pacific, 2008 and 2010
Changes in forest management: Expanding stakeholder engagement
In 2010, 13% of forest area was designated for conservation of biodiversity in Asia and 16% in Oceania.8 In both
regions, high proportions of forest areas (of almost 100% and just over 80%, respectively) were covered by national
forest programmes in 2008.
In the last few decades a shift has taken place from state forest management to multi-stakeholder engagement. In
Asia, over 80% of forests are owned by the public with 10% of these managed by individual communities. On the
other hand, private ownership, a term that can be applied to individuals, private-sector entities or communities,
outweighs public ownership in Oceania.
India, Nepal and the Philippines have been identified as leading in the implementation of “participatory forestry”,
and allocation of forestlands and rights to households, individuals and private entities has been progressing in China
and Viet Nam. Legislative changes to bestow collective and private (or individual) ownership of forestlands are under
way in several countries, while local administrations (provincial and district) have an expanded role in line with
decentralization trends in other areas of governance. Voluntary and market-driven institutions are playing an increased
role, while there are various efforts to combat illegal logging.9 Although the long-term sustainability of these policies
is not known, involving multiple stakeholders may be the answer to reducing forest loss. |
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1 General Assembly Resolution 61/193. International Year of Forests, 2011. 2 General Assembly Resolution 65/161. Convention on Biological Diversity, paragraph 19.
3 United Nations, International Year of Forests Factsheet. Available from: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/pdf/session_documents/unff9/Fact_Sheet_IYF.pdf.
4 World Bank, Forests Sourcebook: Practical Guidance for Sustaining Forests in Development Cooperation (Washington, D.C.; 2008). Available from
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTFORSOUBOOK/Resources/
completeforestsourcebookapril2008.pdf.
5 ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook (Los Baños, Philippines; 2010). Available from www.aseanbiodiversity.org/index.php?option=com_
content&view=article&id=96&Itemid=114¤t=110.
6 FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010, FAO Forestry Paper 163 (Rome, 2010). Available from www.fao.org/docrep013/i1757e/i1757e.pdf.
7 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, annexed to Decision X/2 of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity, issued 29 October 2010. Available from www.cbd.int/decision/cop/?id=12268.
8 Text box is based on the data and country groupings in FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010, FAO Forestry Paper 163 (Rome, 2010).
Available from www.fao.org/docrep013/i1757e/i1757e.pdf. Asia includes: and Oceania includes:
9 Yurdi Yasmi and others, Forest policies, legislation and institutions in Asia and the Pacific: Trends and emerging needs for 2020, Asia-Pacific Forestry
Sector Outlook Study II (Bangkok, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 2010). Available from www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1722e/i1722e00.htm.
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Biodiversity, protected areas and forests 
