BURUNDI

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Burundi Forest Figures

Forest Cover
Total forest area: 152,000 ha
% of land area: 5.9%

Primary forest cover: n/a
% of land area: 0.0%
% total forest area: n/a

Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005
Annual change in forest cover: -9,200 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -5.2%
Change in defor. rate since '90s: 47.6%
Total forest loss since 1990: -137,000 ha
Total forest loss since 1990:-47.4%

Primary or "Old-growth" forests
Annual loss of primary forests: n/a
Annual deforestation rate: n/a
Change in deforestation rate since '90s: n/a
Primary forest loss since 1990: n/a
Primary forest loss since 1990:n/a

Forest Classification
Public: n/a
Private: n/a
Other: n/a
Use
Production: n/a
Protection: n/a
Conservation: n/a
Social services: n/a
Multiple purpose: n/a
None or unknown: n/a

Forest Area Breakdown
Total area: 152,000 ha
Primary: n/a
Modified natural: 67,000 ha
Semi-natural: n/a
Production plantation: 86,000 ha
Production plantation: n/a

Plantations
Plantations, 2005: 86,000 ha
% of total forest cover: 56.2%
Annual change rate (00-05): n/a

Carbon storage
Above-ground biomass: n/a M t
Below-ground biomass: n/a M t

Area annually affected by
Fire: n/a
Insects: n/a
Diseases: n/a

Number of tree species in IUCN red list
Number of native tree species: n/a
Critically endangered: 0
Endangered: 0
Vulnerable: 1

Wood removal 2005
Industrial roundwood: 383,000 m3 o.b.
Wood fuel: 9,310,000 m3 o.b.

Value of forest products, 2005
Industrial roundwood: n/a
Wood fuel: n/a
Non-wood forest products (NWFPs): n/a
Total Value: n/a


More forest statistics for Burundi

Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country that depends almost entirely on subsistence agriculture. Uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuelwood coupled with agricultural clearing and grazing lands has resulted in nearly complete deforestation of the country. Massive ethnic civil war and the subsequent collapse of government conservation efforts further reduced forest areas and resulted in increased poaching of wildlife. Before the savage civil war, high population density (450 people per square kilometer) on mountain slopes resulted in heavy soil loss and damage to agriculture.

Due to habitat destruction, gorillas and elephants are extinct in Burundi and virtually all wildlife is threatened.

On paper, just 5.4 percent of Burundi's land mass is under any form of protection. In 2005, the government of Burundi announced a ban on the harvesting of natural Christmas trees in an effort to slow deforestation. Since the Christmas trees are an introduced plantation species, the ban had little effect on the country's biodiversity. Overall, Burundi was once home to 2,500 species of plants, 597 birds, 26 amphibians, 80 mammals, and 116 reptiles.

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Suggested reading - Books
Unless otherwise specified, this article was written by Rhett A. Butler [Bibliographic citation for this page]

Other resources

Contact me if you have suggestions on other rainforest-related environmental sites and resources for this country.


Image copyright Google Earth, MDA EarthSet, DigitalGlobe 2005

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Last updated: 4 Feb 2006