Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Mamoudzou
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mamoudzou has lost about 1,710 hectares of forest (about 2,400 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (71%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 10,400 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,710 ha16% of it, about 2,400 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 1,220 hadeforestation, 71% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2024516 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from June 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 Mamoudzou, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 209 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 20 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 516 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 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2002 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2003 | 8 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2004 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2005 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2006 | 18 ha | 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2007 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2008 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 19 ha |
| 2009 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2010 | 17 ha | 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 41 ha | 1 ha | 42 ha |
| 2013 | 78 ha | 12 ha | 89 ha |
| 2014 | 291 ha | 31 ha | 322 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2016 | 15 ha | 4 ha | 20 ha |
| 2017 | 3 ha | 3 ha | 6 ha |
| 2018 | 26 ha | 4 ha | 29 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2020 | 30 ha | 8 ha | 39 ha |
| 2021 | 15 ha | 6 ha | 20 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | 3 ha | 9 ha |
| 2023 | 27 ha | 3 ha | 30 ha |
| 2024 | 247 ha | 269 ha | 516 ha |
| 2025 | 333 ha | 135 ha | 468 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 9,810 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 9,720 ha
- Overall change
- −90 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mamoudzou stayed about the same size, at about 9,720 hectares: new forest grew on about 44 hectares, and about 134 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 Mamoudzou?
- 71%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 29%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Farms, pasture and plantations60% · 1,030 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming24% · 409 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Towns and roads10% · 177 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging4.7% · 80 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Mamoudzou's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Mamoudzou
How much forest has Mamoudzou lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mamoudzou has lost about 1,710 hectares of forest (about 2,400 football pitches): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (71%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation around Mamoudzou getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 209 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 20 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 Mamoudzou?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (60%), shifting farming (24%), towns and roads (10%). About 1,220 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 Mamoudzou?
The worst year was 2024, when about 516 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Mamoudzou growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mamoudzou stayed about the same size, at about 9,720 hectares: new forest grew on about 44 hectares, and about 134 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 Mamoudzou 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 Mamoudzou, 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 Mamoudzou, 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.