What has driven deforestation in the 21st century?

Since 2000, the world has lost an average of 5.6 million hectares of forest annually to agriculture and plantations.

This rate is equivalent to clearing an area the size of Costa Rica—about 5.1 million hectares—every year.

Nearly all recent deforestation has occurred in tropical regions, where biodiversity is highest.

The destruction is driven primarily by the expansion of farmland to meet global demand for food and materials.

While deforestation has slowed for some products in recent years, the overall pace remains alarmingly high, with one Costa Rica-sized area of forest lost every year.