Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Canberra
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Canberra has lost about 1,290 hectares of forest (about 1,800 football pitches): 39% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 3,290 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,290 ha39% of it, about 1,800 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 1,000 hadeforestation, 78% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2003599 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in 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 Canberra, year by year
The worst year was 2003, when about 599 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 | 89 ha | 5 ha | 94 ha |
| 2002 | 243 ha | 154 ha | 397 ha |
| 2003 | 512 ha | 87 ha | 599 ha |
| 2004 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2007 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2008 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2009 | 17 ha | 3 ha | 20 ha |
| 2010 | 19 ha | 5 ha | 24 ha |
| 2011 | 9 ha | 2 ha | 12 ha |
| 2012 | 14 ha | 9 ha | 23 ha |
| 2013 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2016 | 8 ha | 3 ha | 11 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2018 | 8 ha | 7 ha | 15 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2020 | 7 ha | 6 ha | 13 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 5 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 5,470 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 4,900 ha
- Overall change
- −574 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Canberra shrank from about 5,470 hectares to 4,900 hectares, a net loss of about 574 hectares (−10%). New forest grew on about 338 hectares, but 912 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 Canberra?
- 78%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 22%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Towns and roads42% · 544 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Farms, pasture and plantations35% · 459 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Logging21% · 273 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: wildfires, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Canberra's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Canberra
How much forest has Canberra lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Canberra has lost about 1,290 hectares of forest (about 1,800 football pitches): 39% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (78%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
What is causing deforestation around Canberra?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (42%), farms, pasture and plantations (35%), logging (21%). About 1,000 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 Canberra?
The worst year was 2003, when about 599 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Canberra growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Canberra shrank from about 5,470 hectares to 4,900 hectares, a net loss of about 574 hectares (−10%). New forest grew on about 338 hectares, but 912 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 Canberra 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 in the centre of Canberra. 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 Canberra, 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.