Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Reunion
Since 2001, Reunion has lost about 18,000 hectares of forest (about 25,000 football pitches): 6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (80%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 298,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 18,000 ha6% of it, about 25,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 14,400 hadeforestation, 80% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20131,780 ha lost
Map
Where Reunion has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Reunion 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 Reunion, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 760 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 759 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2013, when about 1,780 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 | 139 ha | 38 ha | 177 ha |
| 2002 | 817 ha | 154 ha | 971 ha |
| 2003 | 255 ha | 21 ha | 276 ha |
| 2004 | 245 ha | 52 ha | 297 ha |
| 2005 | 260 ha | 132 ha | 392 ha |
| 2006 | 492 ha | 328 ha | 820 ha |
| 2007 | 227 ha | 36 ha | 263 ha |
| 2008 | 853 ha | 53 ha | 906 ha |
| 2009 | 475 ha | 111 ha | 586 ha |
| 2010 | 386 ha | 111 ha | 497 ha |
| 2011 | 646 ha | 171 ha | 817 ha |
| 2012 | 1,130 ha | 153 ha | 1,280 ha |
| 2013 | 1,570 ha | 214 ha | 1,780 ha |
| 2014 | 740 ha | 265 ha | 1,010 ha |
| 2015 | 256 ha | 62 ha | 318 ha |
| 2016 | 778 ha | 103 ha | 881 ha |
| 2017 | 556 ha | 147 ha | 703 ha |
| 2018 | 562 ha | 133 ha | 695 ha |
| 2019 | 436 ha | 223 ha | 659 ha |
| 2020 | 711 ha | 145 ha | 856 ha |
| 2021 | 536 ha | 157 ha | 693 ha |
| 2022 | 452 ha | 136 ha | 588 ha |
| 2023 | 588 ha | 220 ha | 808 ha |
| 2024 | 545 ha | 184 ha | 729 ha |
| 2025 | 760 ha | 223 ha | 983 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 Reunion?
- 80%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 18%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 2.1%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations76% · 13,600 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Logging11% · 1,960 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads4.3% · 776 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes3.2% · 567 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Shifting farming2.3% · 419 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Wildfires1.4% · 245 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Unknown causes2.2% · 387 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: 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.
Cities that lost the most forest around them
Forest lost within 10 km of each city centre since 2001.
| City | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Pierre | 961 ha | 12% | 955 ha |
| Saint-Leu | 775 ha | 6.6% | 692 ha |
| Saint-Benoît | 442 ha | 3.3% | 393 ha |
| Saint-Paul | 411 ha | 5.6% | 398 ha |
| Saint-Denis | 147 ha | 1.6% | 73 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Reunion
How much forest has Reunion lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Reunion has lost about 18,000 hectares of forest (about 25,000 football pitches): 6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (80%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation in Reunion getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 760 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 759 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 Reunion?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (76%), logging (11%), towns and roads (4.3%). About 14,400 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 Reunion?
The worst year was 2013, when about 1,780 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 Reunion, 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.