Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Honiara
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Honiara has lost about 3,100 hectares of forest (about 4,300 football pitches): 20% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (45%), after which forest can grow back. About 492 hectares (16%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 15,200 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3,100 ha20% of it, about 4,300 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 492 hadeforestation, 16% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2018449 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from October 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 Honiara, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 164 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 224 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2018, when about 449 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 | 3 ha | 11 ha | 14 ha |
| 2002 | 5 ha | 16 ha | 20 ha |
| 2003 | 15 ha | 11 ha | 26 ha |
| 2004 | 6 ha | 11 ha | 17 ha |
| 2005 | 25 ha | 58 ha | 82 ha |
| 2006 | 16 ha | 59 ha | 75 ha |
| 2007 | 30 ha | 35 ha | 65 ha |
| 2008 | 15 ha | 24 ha | 39 ha |
| 2009 | 22 ha | 17 ha | 39 ha |
| 2010 | 20 ha | 33 ha | 53 ha |
| 2011 | 9 ha | 34 ha | 43 ha |
| 2012 | 15 ha | 26 ha | 41 ha |
| 2013 | 57 ha | 90 ha | 147 ha |
| 2014 | 69 ha | 186 ha | 254 ha |
| 2015 | 19 ha | 229 ha | 248 ha |
| 2016 | 21 ha | 222 ha | 243 ha |
| 2017 | 4 ha | 114 ha | 118 ha |
| 2018 | 7 ha | 443 ha | 449 ha |
| 2019 | 12 ha | 185 ha | 197 ha |
| 2020 | 36 ha | 76 ha | 112 ha |
| 2021 | 27 ha | 217 ha | 244 ha |
| 2022 | 16 ha | 192 ha | 208 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | 67 ha | 73 ha |
| 2024 | 31 ha | 152 ha | 183 ha |
| 2025 | 7 ha | 103 ha | 110 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 14,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 13,100 ha
- Overall change
- −1,130 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Honiara shrank from about 14,300 hectares to 13,100 hectares, a net loss of about 1,130 hectares (−7.9%). New forest grew on about 45 hectares, but 1,180 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 Honiara?
- 16%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 84%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Logging45% · 1,380 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Shifting farming38% · 1,180 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Farms, pasture and plantations8.5% · 264 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Towns and roads7.4% · 228 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes1.1% · 34 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
Also, each under 1%: unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Honiara's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Honiara
How much forest has Honiara lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Honiara has lost about 3,100 hectares of forest (about 4,300 football pitches): 20% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (45%), after which forest can grow back. About 492 hectares (16%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation around Honiara getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 164 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 224 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 Honiara?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (45%), shifting farming (38%), farms, pasture and plantations (8.5%). About 492 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 Honiara?
The worst year was 2018, when about 449 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Honiara growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Honiara shrank from about 14,300 hectares to 13,100 hectares, a net loss of about 1,130 hectares (−7.9%). New forest grew on about 45 hectares, but 1,180 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 Honiara 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 Honiara, 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 Honiara, 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.