Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Georgetown
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Georgetown has lost about 346 hectares of forest (about 480 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 2,800 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 346 ha12% of it, about 480 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 321 hadeforestation, 93% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2023109 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km south-east 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 Georgetown, year by year
The worst year was 2023, when about 109 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2010 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2013 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2014 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2015 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2016 | 17 ha | 6 ha | 23 ha |
| 2017 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2018 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2019 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2020 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2021 | 34 ha | under 1 ha | 34 ha |
| 2022 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2023 | 108 ha | 1 ha | 109 ha |
| 2024 | 45 ha | 3 ha | 48 ha |
| 2025 | 34 ha | 10 ha | 43 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 396 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 481 ha
- Overall change
- +85 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Georgetown grew from about 396 hectares to 481 hectares, a net gain of about 85 hectares (+21%). New forest grew on about 105 hectares, while 20 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 Georgetown?
- 93%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 3.6%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 3.6%cause unknown
- Farms, pasture and plantations70% · 243 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Towns and roads16% · 55 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Mining and energy7% · 24 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes3.2% · 11 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Unknown causes3.7% · 13 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: wildfires.
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 |
| Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 562 ha | 4.6% | 383 ha |
Use this data
Put Georgetown's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Georgetown
How much forest has Georgetown lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Georgetown has lost about 346 hectares of forest (about 480 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (93%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
What is causing deforestation around Georgetown?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (70%), towns and roads (16%), mining and energy (7%). About 321 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 Georgetown?
The worst year was 2023, when about 109 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Georgetown growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Georgetown grew from about 396 hectares to 481 hectares, a net gain of about 85 hectares (+21%). New forest grew on about 105 hectares, while 20 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 Georgetown 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 Georgetown, 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 Georgetown, 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.