CHINA

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China Forest Figures

Forest Cover
Total forest area: 197,290,000 ha
% of land area: 21.2%

Primary forest cover: 11,632,000 ha
% of land area: 1.2%
% total forest area: 5.9%

Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005
Annual change in forest cover: 4,057,800 ha
Annual deforestation rate: 2.2%
Change in defor. rate since '90s: 81.4%
Total forest loss since 1990: 40,149,000 ha
Total forest loss since 1990:25.5%

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 1990:0.0%

Forest Classification
Public: 100%
Private: n/a
Other: n/a
Use
Production: 58%
Protection: 31.3%
Conservation: 2.7%
Social services: 1.2%
Multiple purpose: 6.8%
None or unknown: n/a

Forest Area Breakdown
Total area: 197,290,000 ha
Primary: 11,632,000 ha
Modified natural: 114,332,000 ha
Semi-natural: 39,957,000 ha
Production plantation: 28,530,000 ha
Production plantation: 2,839,000 ha

Plantations
Plantations, 2005: 31,369,000 ha
% of total forest cover: 15.9%
Annual change rate (00-05): 1,489,000,000 ha

Carbon storage
Above-ground biomass: 9,271 M t
Below-ground biomass: 2,920 M t

Area annually affected by
Fire: 51,000 ha
Insects: 6,191,000 ha
Diseases: 883,000 ha

Number of tree species in IUCN red list
Number of native tree species: 2,500
Critically endangered: 34
Endangered: 45
Vulnerable: 96

Wood removal 2005
Industrial roundwood: 88,808,000 m3 o.b.
Wood fuel: 46,628,000 m3 o.b.

Value of forest products, 2005
Industrial roundwood: $4,946,290,000
Wood fuel: n/a
Non-wood forest products (NWFPs): n/a
Total Value: $4,946,290,000


More forest statistics for China

In the last decade of reform, China has made impressive headway in protecting and improving its environment. Massive reforestation projects, including the planting of 10 billion trees during the 1980s, have resulted in 38.3 million hectares of man-made forest. Improvements in energy sources for the poor has resulted in a decline in collection of fuelwood from forests.

China has two major regions of natural tropical forest: Hainan Island and Xishuangbanna in the Yunnan Province. The Hainan Province is home to China's only tropical rainforest, which contains 25 percent of China's mammal diversity and 33 percent of the country's bird diversity. The rainforest has been plagued by poaching (rampant throughout the country) and collection of fuelwood in the past, though today tougher restrictions, along with reforestation projects, offer a glimmer of hope for these diverse forests. The bulk of China's tropical timber comes from plantations in Yunnan and on Hainan Island.

Today most of China's influence on tropical forests comes on the consumption side. Chinese firms are active in legal and illegal logging operations around the globe, as well as being major sponsors of large agriculture projects (Indonesia and the Amazon), road and infrastructure construction (South America), and oil and mining development (South America, Asia, Africa). Below are some recent news articles on China's growing environmental impact beyond its borders:

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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.


CIA World Factbook

CIA-World Factbook Profile
FAO-Forestry Profile



Last updated: 4 Feb 2006