East Asia and Pacific: Increasing Forest Cover

The East Asia and Pacific region has emerged as a leader in the world reforestation effort due to significant increases in China, according to this year’s World Development Indicators report. While most countries in the region have lost forests since 1990, those losses have slowed since 2000. China and Vietnam are the only countries in the region that increased forest cover.

China’s forest cover has grown from nearly 12 percent to more than 18 percent in the past 20 years, through a concerted reforestation program and a country-wide ban on logging. Its goal is to increase forest cover to 23 percent by 2020. For more information about the data:

• World Development Indicators
• Country: China
• Indicator: Forest area (% of land area)
• Indicator: Forest area (sq. km)
• Projects:
  • Poor Farming Communities Reap Benefits of Increased Forest Coverage in China
  • Timber Plantations and Protected Areas Relieve Pressure on China’s Natural Forests
• Feature Story: A Poverty Project That Is Restoring China’s Forests
• Slideshow: Reforestation in China