Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Syria
Since 2001, Syria has lost about 41,800 hectares of forest (about 59,000 football pitches): 40% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 1,240 hectares (3%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 105,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 41,800 ha40% of it, about 59,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 1,240 hadeforestation, 3% of the loss
- Worst year
- 202512,300 ha lost
Map
Where Syria has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Syria 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 Syria, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 3,810 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 1,810 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 12,300 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 67 ha | 198 ha | 265 ha |
| 2002 | 35 ha | 108 ha | 143 ha |
| 2003 | 22 ha | 104 ha | 126 ha |
| 2004 | 16 ha | 90 ha | 106 ha |
| 2005 | 40 ha | 747 ha | 787 ha |
| 2006 | 17 ha | 265 ha | 282 ha |
| 2007 | 45 ha | 1,150 ha | 1,200 ha |
| 2008 | 34 ha | 763 ha | 797 ha |
| 2009 | 29 ha | 98 ha | 127 ha |
| 2010 | 21 ha | 219 ha | 240 ha |
| 2011 | 27 ha | 145 ha | 171 ha |
| 2012 | 65 ha | 4,800 ha | 4,870 ha |
| 2013 | 46 ha | 1,210 ha | 1,250 ha |
| 2014 | 70 ha | 906 ha | 976 ha |
| 2015 | 96 ha | 2,310 ha | 2,410 ha |
| 2016 | 56 ha | 1,790 ha | 1,840 ha |
| 2017 | 78 ha | 2,100 ha | 2,180 ha |
| 2018 | 54 ha | 811 ha | 865 ha |
| 2019 | 29 ha | 1,130 ha | 1,160 ha |
| 2020 | 53 ha | 2,940 ha | 3,000 ha |
| 2021 | 32 ha | 2,750 ha | 2,790 ha |
| 2022 | 19 ha | 515 ha | 534 ha |
| 2023 | 15 ha | 2,440 ha | 2,460 ha |
| 2024 | 16 ha | 909 ha | 925 ha |
| 2025 | 251 ha | 12,100 ha | 12,300 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 Syria?
- 3%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 95%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.7%cause unknown
- Wildfires89% · 37,300 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Logging6% · 2,490 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Farms, pasture and plantations2.1% · 888 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Unknown causes1.7% · 718 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: towns and roads, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ţarţūs | 38 ha | 9.4% | 35 ha |
| Latakia | 26 ha | 3.9% | 22 ha |
| Al Qāmishlī | 7 ha | — | 6 ha |
| Ar Raqqah | 4 ha | 4.2% | 2 ha |
| Dūmā | 4 ha | — | 3 ha |
| Aleppo | 2 ha | — | under 1 ha |
| Damascus | 2 ha | — | under 1 ha |
| Idlib | 2 ha | — | 1 ha |
| Deir ez-Zor | 1 ha | — | under 1 ha |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Syria
How much forest has Syria lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Syria has lost about 41,800 hectares of forest (about 59,000 football pitches): 40% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 1,240 hectares (3%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Syria getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 3,810 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 1,810 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 Syria?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are wildfires (89%), logging (6%), farms, pasture and plantations (2.1%). About 1,240 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 Syria?
The worst year was 2025, when about 12,300 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
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 Syria, 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.