Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Bandar Seri Begawan
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bandar Seri Begawan has lost about 2,240 hectares of forest (about 3,100 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 17,700 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,240 ha13% of it, about 3,100 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 2,110 hadeforestation, 94% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2015178 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south-west of the city centre.
Satellite photos of the same 5 × 5 km area, one per year, all taken in the same season so the colours compare. You can see forest being cleared and towns spreading, though not single trees. Download the before/after image (free to reuse with credit to Airleaf).
Year by year
Forest lost around Bandar Seri Begawan, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 70 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 81 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2015, when about 178 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 149 ha | 9 ha | 158 ha |
| 2002 | 42 ha | under 1 ha | 42 ha |
| 2003 | 74 ha | 2 ha | 76 ha |
| 2004 | 60 ha | 3 ha | 62 ha |
| 2005 | 85 ha | 5 ha | 89 ha |
| 2006 | 124 ha | 1 ha | 125 ha |
| 2007 | 91 ha | 2 ha | 93 ha |
| 2008 | 102 ha | under 1 ha | 102 ha |
| 2009 | 104 ha | 2 ha | 106 ha |
| 2010 | 74 ha | 2 ha | 76 ha |
| 2011 | 140 ha | 10 ha | 150 ha |
| 2012 | 95 ha | 3 ha | 98 ha |
| 2013 | 37 ha | under 1 ha | 37 ha |
| 2014 | 96 ha | 2 ha | 98 ha |
| 2015 | 138 ha | 40 ha | 178 ha |
| 2016 | 133 ha | 5 ha | 138 ha |
| 2017 | 51 ha | 1 ha | 52 ha |
| 2018 | 40 ha | 9 ha | 49 ha |
| 2019 | 69 ha | 14 ha | 83 ha |
| 2020 | 77 ha | 4 ha | 81 ha |
| 2021 | 82 ha | 2 ha | 85 ha |
| 2022 | 45 ha | under 1 ha | 45 ha |
| 2023 | 49 ha | under 1 ha | 49 ha |
| 2024 | 99 ha | 18 ha | 117 ha |
| 2025 | 52 ha | under 1 ha | 52 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 19,800 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 19,800 ha
- Overall change
- −55 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bandar Seri Begawan stayed about the same size, at about 19,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 983 hectares, and about 1,040 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation around Bandar Seri Begawan?
- 94%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 5.6%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Towns and roads58% · 1,300 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Farms, pasture and plantations36% · 805 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Wildfires3.5% · 78 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Logging1.1% · 24 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes1% · 23 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
Also, each under 1%: shifting farming, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Bandar Seri Begawan's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Bandar Seri Begawan
How much forest has Bandar Seri Begawan lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bandar Seri Begawan has lost about 2,240 hectares of forest (about 3,100 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
Is deforestation around Bandar Seri Begawan getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 70 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 81 hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation around Bandar Seri Begawan?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (58%), farms, pasture and plantations (36%), wildfires (3.5%). About 2,110 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss around Bandar Seri Begawan?
The worst year was 2015, when about 178 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Bandar Seri Begawan growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bandar Seri Begawan stayed about the same size, at about 19,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 983 hectares, and about 1,040 hectares were lost. These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Can I see satellite images of Bandar Seri Begawan over the years?
Yes. The timelapse at the top of this page has a satellite photo for every year from 2017 to 2026 of a 5 × 5 km area near Bandar Seri Begawan, where the most forest was lost. Press play to watch it change, or turn on "Show cleared forest" to see exactly where trees were lost.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches within 10 km of the centre of Bandar Seri Begawan, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.