Global Forest Watch Blog

Stay atop the latest forest research and news! The Global Forest Watch blog uses data to illuminate the state of forests worldwide and tells the stories of people dedicated to protecting them. Read about rainforests, deforestation, fires, sustainable agriculture, forest management and other topics critical to the future of forests.

Indigenous community in Peru tests out the Forest Watcher Mobile App

Forest Watcher Updates Improve Managing Teams and Reporting on Data From the Field

Forest Watcher app is designed to serve forest monitors at work in the field. New updates to the app make that easier than ever.
2023 GFW Small Grants Fund recipient Rainforest Foundation US

Introducing Global Forest Watch’s 2023 Small Grants Fund Recipients

GFW’s 2023 Small Grants Fund recipients are using satellite-based forest monitoring technologies to manage and protect forests on the ground.

forest_fire_CIFOR

Forest Loss Remained Stubbornly High in 2021

2021 tree cover loss data reveals that the tropics lost 11.1 million hectares of tree cover in 2021 — including 3.75 million hectares within tropical primary rainforests, equivalent to a rate of 10 football pitches a minute.

Latest articles

Photo of mountains in Mexico Protected Natural Area

Natural Protected Areas in Mexico: A Strategic Front for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Data from GFW shows that Natural Protected Areas in Mexico help prevent forest loss, protect biodiversity and mitigate climate change.

Stolby National Park in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia.

The World’s Last Intact Forests Are Becoming Increasingly Fragmented

Intact forest landscapes are some of the most important ecosystems in the world. But they decreased by 12% between 2000 and 2020.

Tree cover gain 2000-2020 visualized on the GFW map

Exploring New Tree Cover Gain and Net Change on Global Forest Watch

New data on GFW provides an updated look at tree cover height, tree cover gain, and net change in tree cover worldwide.

Tree cover loss due to fires visualized on the GFW map, 2001-2021

Two Decades of Fire-Driven Loss in Unprecedented Detail

New tree cover loss from fires data offers a higher-resolution look than ever before at trends in fire-driven loss over the last 21 years.

Amazon – Brazil, 2011.©Neil Palmer/CIAT

Global Forest Watch’s 2021 Data Update Explained

What does the data measure, what is different this year and how does it compare to other data sets? GFW’s 2021 data update explained.

Logging roads in Papua province, Indonesia

Why Preserving Forest Integrity Is As Vital As Preventing Deforestation

Forest integrity – the health of remaining forests – is just as vital as preventing deforestation, but less than half of remaining forests have high integrity.

Planet satellite imagery of primary forest removal in Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia on GFW map

Looking for the Quickest Signal of Deforestation? Turn to GFW’s Integrated Alerts

A new integrated deforestation alerts layer combines the analytical power of GLAD, GLAD-S2 and RADD deforestation alerts to provide a faster, more confident view of forest disturbances than any one individual system.

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The Commodity Report: Soy Production’s Impact on Forests in South America

The combination of new data on soy production with annual tree cover loss shows sustainable soy production will require a holistic approach

Indigenous community monitors in Copal Urco plan a patrol to monitor deforestation

Supplied with Tech, Indigenous Forest Monitors Curb Deforestation

A recent study shows that indigenous forest monitors equipped with satellite data saw a 52% reduction in deforestation in the first year.