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Lesotho
Forest Information and Data
According to the U.N. FAO,
1.4% or about 44,000 ha of Lesotho is forested, according to FAO. Lesotho had 10,000 ha of planted forest.
Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Lesotho lost an average of 200 ha or 0.50% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Lesotho gained 10.0% of its forest cover, or around 4,000 ha.
Lesotho's forests contain 2 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass.
Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Lesotho has some 417 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 1.0% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 2.4% are threatened. Lesotho is home to at least 1591 species of vascular plants, of which 0.1% are endemic. 0.0% of Lesotho is protected under IUCN categories I-V.
2011 Update
In May 2011, Sassan Saatchi of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab and colleagues published a paper in PNAS with new carbon stock estimates for global tropical forests.
| Forest definition (canopy cover %) | 10% tree cover | 25% tree cover | 30% tree cover | | Forest Area (M ha) | 1 | 1 | 1 | | Aboveground forest carbon (Mt C) | 18 | 13 | 7 | | Belowground forest carbon (Mt C) | 6 | 4 | 2 | | Total forest carbon (Mt C) | 24 | 17 | 10 | | Average Carbon Density (t C/ha) | 19 | 19 | 19 |
M=million, t=metric tons; all figures are mean carbon stock values
The following contains data relating to forest cover in Lesotho
Previous version of this profile (2009)
SECTIONS:
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Lesotho: Forest Cover, 2010
| Total Land Area (1000 ha) | 3035 |
| Total Forest Area (1000 ha) | 44 |
| Percent Forest Cover | 1 |
| Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) | 0 |
| Primary Forest, % total forest | 0 |
| Other wooded land (1000 ha) | 97 |
| Percent other wooded land | 3 |
Lesotho: Breakdown of forest types, 2010
| Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 0 | 0 |
| Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 34 | 76 |
| Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 10 | 24 |
Lesotho: Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 40 | 42 | 43 | 44 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0.49 | 0.47 | 0.46 | |
Lesotho: Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010
| FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0.0 | 0 | 0
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Lesotho: Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| - | - | - | |
Lesotho: Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 3.17 | 2.55 | 2.26 | |
Lesotho: Primary designated function (percent)
| Production | Protection of soil and water | Conservation of biodiversity | Social services | Multiple use | Other | None or unknown |
| 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 0 |
Lesotho: Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent)
| OWNERSHIP PATTERN |
| Public ownership | Private ownership | Other |
| 14 | 0 | 86 |
| PRIVATE OWNERSHIP |
| Individuals | Business entities and institutions | Local, indigenous and tribal communities |
| - | - | - |
| HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS |
| Public administration | Individuals | Business
entities and Institutions | Communities | Other |
| 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Lesotho: Growing stock in forest
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
Total
(million m3) | Per hectare
(m3) | Coniferous
(million m3) | Broadleaved
(million m3) | % commercial species |
| 3 | 65 | - | - | - |
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
| Total (million m3) | Per hectare (m3) | Coniferous (million m3) | Broadleaved (million m3) | % commercial species |
| 1 | 10 | | | |
Lesotho: Trends in carbon stock in living forest biomass 1990-2010
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(million metric tons) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(per hectare in tons) |
| | | 2000 |
| | | 53 |
ANNUAL CHANGE
(1 000 t/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
ANNUAL CHANGE PER HECTARE
(t/ha/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
Lesotho: Area of forest affected by fire and other disturbances 2005
| FOREST FIRE |
| 1000 ha | % wild fire (not managed burn) |
| - | - |
| EXCLUDING FOREST FIRE |
| Insects | Diseases | Other biotic agents | Abiotic factors | Total (excluding fire) | % of 2005 forest area |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
Lesotho: Trends in removals of wood products 1990-2005
INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| - | - | n.s. | 100 |
WOODFUEL
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 1771 | 2227 | 2362 | 100 |
Lesotho: Value of wood and NWFP removals 2005
Value of removals
(million US$) | Value per ha forest
(US$) |
| Industrial roundwood | Woodfuel | NWFP | Total | |
| n.s. | 8 | - | - | - |
Lesotho: Employment in forestry 1990-2005
TOTAL
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| - | - | - |
IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF GOODS-FORESTRY
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| n.s. | n.s. | 2 |
IN MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS-CONSERVATION
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| - | - | - |
Lesotho: Forest policy and legal framework 2008
National forest policy (year): Yes (2008)
Sub-national forest policy: No
National forest program (year) - status: Yes (2009) Temporarily suspended
National forest law (year): Specific forest law (1998)
Sub-national forest law: Yes
Lesotho: Human resources within public forest institutions 2000-2008
| 2000 | 2005 | 2008 |
| # | % female | # | % female | # | % female |
| - | - | 80 | 10 | 115 | 8 |
Lesotho: Forest revenue and public expenditure on forestry 2005
| Forest revenue | Public expenditure (1000 US$) |
| Domestic funding | External funding | Total |
| (1000 US$) | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | -
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Lesotho: Status of ratification of international conventions and agreements as of 1 January 2010
CbD:
UNFCCC:
Kyoto Protocol:
UNCCD:
ITTA:
CITeS:
Ramsar:
World Heritage Convention:
NlbI:
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Lesotho: Environment
| Environment - current issues | population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa | | Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea | | Natural hazards | periodic droughts |
Lesotho: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13%
other: 89% (2001) | | Natural resources | water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone |
Lesotho: Economy
| Economy - overview: | Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue, but the government has strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries and a rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The garment industry has grown significantly, mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. | | GDP - per capita | $3,300 (2005 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 2% (2005 est.) | | Agriculture - products | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 15.4%, industry: 44.2%, services: 40.4% (2005 est.) | | Industries | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism | | Economic aid - recipient | $41.5 million (2000) | | Debt - external | $735 million (2002) | | Population below poverty line (%) | 49% (1999) | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa |
Lesotho: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 1,867,035 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 0.08% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 61.5 | | Percent rural (2003) | 82.1% | | Median age (years) | total: 20.19 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 3.35 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, |
Largest Cities in Lesotho
Cities and urban areas in Lesotho with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002.
| City | Country | City Population | Urban Area Population |
| Maseru | Lesotho | 169200 | 169200 |
Lesotho: Infrastructure
| Telephones - main lines in use | 28,600 (2002) | | Telephones - mobile cellular | 92,000 (2002) | | Roadways (km) | total: 5,940 km
paved: 1,087 km
unpaved: 4,853 km (1999) |
Lesotho: Health
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | total population: 34.47 years
male: 35.49 years
female: 33.42 years (2005 est.) | | Infant mortality rate | 84.23 deaths/1,000 live births | | HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) | 28.9% (2003 est.) |
Lesotho
: References & Data Sources
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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