Mountain Forests Worldwide Dying at 50% Annual Loss Rate, Threatening Biodiversity: Scientists Warn

Mountain forests, previously untouched by urbanization and industrialization, serve as natural habitats for a wide range of animal species, ranging from small mammals, to large-toothed predators, and even pollinators.

However, the expansion of environment-damaging human settlements and activities have led to a cascade of forest retreat, as observed in recent years.

Global mountain forest loss is an evident yet imminent phenomenon in modern times, triggered by various natural and anthropogenic factors.

In a new study, an international team of researchers focused on the dangers of human activities to these natural wonders, asserting forest loss in mountain areas across the globe is rapidly increasing.

The study pointed out agricultural, fire, and commercial forestry as the major causes of mountain forest loss.

This phenomenon mostly affected tropical mountain forests and even endangering critical biodiversity areas.

With this, scientists involved in the study retain the importance of human livelihood and well-being in the context of forest development, while retaining environmental protection.

Mountain Forest Loss

(Photo : Photo by Hristo Rusev/Getty Images)
BOROVETS, BULGARIA - MARCH 10: Forest in Rila mountain on March 10, 2023 in Borovets, Bulgaria. With soaring energy prices this winter, the consumption of wood for fuel has caused an uptick in illegal logging and wood-theft in Europe. In Bulgaria, legislation protects the last remaining virgin forests, known as old-growth forests.

In a new study published in the journal One Earth on March 17, the research team from Southern University of Science and Technology in China; Mae Jo University in Thailand; University of Leeds in the United Kingdom; and other institutions concluded mountain forests in many regions of Earth are undergoing dramatic changes due to climate change and anthropogenic pressures.

The team's global analysis of mountain forest loss indicates accelerating damage or destruction of trees in the early 21st century at the rate of 50% annually from 2001 to 2009 to 2010 to 2018 or equivalent to 5.2 million hectares of mountain forests lost per year.

The data, apart from being a figure, has created a growing concern since many of the affected mountain areas are biodiversity hotspots.

Also Read: Scientists Discover Eight New Frog Species In One Mountain Forest

Mountain Forest Tracking

To determine such findings, the research team tracked certain mountain forest changes every year from 2001 to 2018, quantifying both losses ang gains of mountain forest lands in terms of tree cover and estimating the rate as to which change is occurring, as summarized by Phys.org.

The team then related varying elevations, as well as different types of mountain forests such as: boreal, temperate, and tropical.

Then they explored the environmental repercussions of forest loss on biodiversity.

Causes of Forest Loss

In the study, significant loss was reported across Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and Australia except for North America and Oceania.

The recorded causes of total forest loss are attributed 42% to logging, 29% to wildfires, 15% to shifting or slash-and-burn cultivation, and 10% permanent or temporary agriculture.

However, the importance or degree of these factors vary per region.

According to the Global Forest Watch organization, the world had 3.92 gigahectares of tree cover, extending more than 30% of its land area in 2010.

However, it lost 25.3 million hectares of tree cover as of 2021.

One of the most affected lands is the Amazon rainforest in South America.