Control of Primary Forest Loss

This sub-sub-indicator measures the extent of primary forest loss in the country. Only primary forest areas that overlap with tree cover are considered. Primary forests are among the most biodiverse forests, providing a multitude of ecosystem services, making them crucial to monitor for national land use planning and carbon accounting. Primary forests are defined as "mature natural humid tropical forest cover that has not been completely cleared and regrown in recent history." Tree cover is defined as all vegetation taller than 5 meters in height as of 2000. 'Loss' indicates the removal or mortality of tree cover and can be due to a variety of factors, including mechanical harvesting, fire, disease, or storm damage. As such, 'loss' does not equate to deforestation. Primary forest loss each year is calculated as a percentage of extent of primary forest as detailed for 2001 in file sent by source. Calculation done by MIF Research team.