Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in the Cocos Islands
Since 2001, the Cocos Islands has lost about 90,000 hectares of forest (about 130,000 football pitches): 23% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (50%), after which forest can grow back. About 7,940 hectares (8.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 386,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 90,000 ha23% of it, about 130,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 7,940 hadeforestation, 8.8% of the loss
- Worst year
- 202510,400 ha lost
Map
Where the Cocos Islands has lost forest
Every square kilometre of the Cocos Islands as satellites saw it from 2000 to 2025. Yellow and green were forest; red to white marks where it has been lost since 2001, and when.
- Forest cover in 2000
- 0%25%50%75%100%How much of the land was forest: dark purple had little or none, yellow was dense forest.
- Year the forest was lost
- 200120132025Where forest was cut down, burned or cleared since 2001: red for the early years, through orange, to white for the most recent. Solid where a fifth or more of a place's forest went, fainter where 8% or more did.
- Cities
- The capital (the larger dot) and the biggest cities, to help you find your way.
Year by year
Forest lost in the Cocos Islands, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 5,870 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 3,540 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 10,400 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 | 294 ha | 1,230 ha | 1,520 ha |
| 2002 | 666 ha | 2,950 ha | 3,610 ha |
| 2003 | 235 ha | 1,460 ha | 1,690 ha |
| 2004 | 672 ha | 5,440 ha | 6,110 ha |
| 2005 | 401 ha | 1,200 ha | 1,600 ha |
| 2006 | 653 ha | 6,020 ha | 6,670 ha |
| 2007 | 333 ha | 2,050 ha | 2,380 ha |
| 2008 | 219 ha | 1,030 ha | 1,250 ha |
| 2009 | 699 ha | 3,330 ha | 4,030 ha |
| 2010 | 283 ha | 1,940 ha | 2,230 ha |
| 2011 | 188 ha | 779 ha | 967 ha |
| 2012 | 168 ha | 1,230 ha | 1,400 ha |
| 2013 | 304 ha | 3,510 ha | 3,810 ha |
| 2014 | 216 ha | 3,280 ha | 3,490 ha |
| 2015 | 120 ha | 2,030 ha | 2,150 ha |
| 2016 | 279 ha | 5,650 ha | 5,930 ha |
| 2017 | 71 ha | 988 ha | 1,060 ha |
| 2018 | 241 ha | 3,020 ha | 3,270 ha |
| 2019 | 117 ha | 1,760 ha | 1,870 ha |
| 2020 | 403 ha | 5,170 ha | 5,570 ha |
| 2021 | 118 ha | 2,470 ha | 2,580 ha |
| 2022 | 70 ha | 4,020 ha | 4,090 ha |
| 2023 | 72 ha | 8,110 ha | 8,180 ha |
| 2024 | 97 ha | 4,010 ha | 4,110 ha |
| 2025 | 1,030 ha | 9,360 ha | 10,400 ha |
The satellite method improved in 2011, so compare recent years with each other rather than with the 2000s. Hover over or tap a year for its figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation in the Cocos Islands?
- 8.8%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 89%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.7%cause unknown
- Logging50% · 44,700 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Wildfires40% · 35,600 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Farms, pasture and plantations8.3% · 7,430 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Unknown causes1.7% · 1,550 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Is all forest loss deforestation?
No. When forest is cleared for farms, mines or towns, it is gone for good: that is deforestation. When it is logged or burned, it usually grows back. We count both as forest lost, but only the first as deforestation, so a country with a bad fire year isn't shown as clearing its forest for good.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in the Cocos Islands
How much forest has the Cocos Islands lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the Cocos Islands has lost about 90,000 hectares of forest (about 130,000 football pitches): 23% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (50%), after which forest can grow back. About 7,940 hectares (8.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in the Cocos Islands getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 5,870 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 3,540 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 in the Cocos Islands?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (50%), wildfires (40%), farms, pasture and plantations (8.3%). About 7,940 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 in the Cocos Islands?
The worst year was 2025, when about 10,400 hectares of forest 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 in the Cocos Islands, 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.