Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Roseau
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Roseau has lost about 2,400 hectares of forest (about 3,400 football pitches): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to storms, floods and other natural causes, so much of it can grow back. About 294 hectares (12%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 14,000 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,400 ha17% of it, about 3,400 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 294 hadeforestation, 12% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20172,220 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north-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 Roseau, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 5 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 456 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 2,220 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 | 5 ha | 3 ha | 8 ha |
| 2002 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | 7 ha | 12 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | 3 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2007 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 7 ha |
| 2008 | 9 ha | 7 ha | 16 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 9 ha | 12 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2012 | 7 ha | 6 ha | 13 ha |
| 2013 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2017 | 220 ha | 2,000 ha | 2,220 ha |
| 2018 | 4 ha | 23 ha | 27 ha |
| 2019 | 9 ha | 3 ha | 11 ha |
| 2020 | 8 ha | 10 ha | 17 ha |
| 2021 | 5 ha | 3 ha | 8 ha |
| 2022 | 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2023 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 14,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 14,300 ha
- Overall change
- −97 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Roseau stayed about the same size, at about 14,300 hectares: new forest grew on about 14 hectares, and about 111 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 Roseau?
- 12%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 87%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Storms, floods and other natural causes85% · 2,040 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Farms, pasture and plantations6.8% · 162 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Towns and roads5.5% · 132 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging1.4% · 34 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Shifting farming1.1% · 25 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
Also, each under 1%: unknown causes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort-de-France, Martinique | 301 ha | 3% | 287 ha |
| Castries, Saint Lucia | 382 ha | 2.8% | 318 ha |
| Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda | 509 ha | 9.1% | 479 ha |
| Saint George's, Grenada | 634 ha | 5.9% | 455 ha |
| Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 562 ha | 4.6% | 383 ha |
Use this data
Put Roseau's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Roseau
How much forest has Roseau lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Roseau has lost about 2,400 hectares of forest (about 3,400 football pitches): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to storms, floods and other natural causes, so much of it can grow back. About 294 hectares (12%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation around Roseau getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 5 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 456 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 Roseau?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are storms, floods and other natural causes (85%), farms, pasture and plantations (6.8%), towns and roads (5.5%). About 294 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 Roseau?
The worst year was 2017, when about 2,220 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Roseau growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Roseau stayed about the same size, at about 14,300 hectares: new forest grew on about 14 hectares, and about 111 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 Roseau 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 Roseau, 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 Roseau, 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.