Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Cayenne
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cayenne has lost about 1,870 hectares of forest (about 2,600 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 9,860 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,870 ha19% of it, about 2,600 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 1,730 hadeforestation, 92% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2012144 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km 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 Cayenne, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 59 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 88 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2012, when about 144 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 | 65 ha | 3 ha | 68 ha |
| 2002 | 44 ha | 1 ha | 45 ha |
| 2003 | 39 ha | 2 ha | 41 ha |
| 2004 | 92 ha | 4 ha | 96 ha |
| 2005 | 48 ha | 2 ha | 50 ha |
| 2006 | 55 ha | 2 ha | 58 ha |
| 2007 | 78 ha | 2 ha | 80 ha |
| 2008 | 99 ha | 2 ha | 101 ha |
| 2009 | 75 ha | 19 ha | 94 ha |
| 2010 | 106 ha | 2 ha | 108 ha |
| 2011 | 73 ha | 1 ha | 74 ha |
| 2012 | 139 ha | 5 ha | 144 ha |
| 2013 | 68 ha | 4 ha | 72 ha |
| 2014 | 55 ha | 3 ha | 58 ha |
| 2015 | 43 ha | 4 ha | 47 ha |
| 2016 | 137 ha | 7 ha | 144 ha |
| 2017 | 82 ha | 13 ha | 95 ha |
| 2018 | 99 ha | 8 ha | 107 ha |
| 2019 | 45 ha | 1 ha | 46 ha |
| 2020 | 45 ha | 3 ha | 48 ha |
| 2021 | 40 ha | 2 ha | 42 ha |
| 2022 | 56 ha | 28 ha | 84 ha |
| 2023 | 62 ha | 5 ha | 68 ha |
| 2024 | 58 ha | 19 ha | 77 ha |
| 2025 | 25 ha | 1 ha | 27 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 8,220 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,530 ha
- Overall change
- −684 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cayenne shrank from about 8,220 hectares to 7,530 hectares, a net loss of about 684 hectares (−8.3%). New forest grew on about 247 hectares, but 930 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 Cayenne?
- 92%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 7.5%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Towns and roads80% · 1,490 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Farms, pasture and plantations13% · 235 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes4.7% · 88 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Shifting farming2.8% · 53 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Nearby cities losing forest
| City | Forest lost (10 km) | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramaribo, Suriname | 2,070 ha | 24% | 2,030 ha |
Use this data
Put Cayenne's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Cayenne
How much forest has Cayenne lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cayenne has lost about 1,870 hectares of forest (about 2,600 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
Is deforestation around Cayenne getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 59 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 88 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 Cayenne?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (80%), farms, pasture and plantations (13%), storms, floods and other natural causes (4.7%). About 1,730 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 Cayenne?
The worst year was 2012, when about 144 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Cayenne growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cayenne shrank from about 8,220 hectares to 7,530 hectares, a net loss of about 684 hectares (−8.3%). New forest grew on about 247 hectares, but 930 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 Cayenne 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 Cayenne, 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 Cayenne, 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.