Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Saint George's
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Saint George's has lost about 634 hectares of forest (about 890 football pitches): 5.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (72%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 10,700 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 634 ha5.9% of it, about 890 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 455 hadeforestation, 72% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2004296 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km 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 Saint George's, year by year
The worst year was 2004, when about 296 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 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 7 ha |
| 2003 | 26 ha | 2 ha | 27 ha |
| 2004 | 154 ha | 142 ha | 296 ha |
| 2005 | 13 ha | 3 ha | 16 ha |
| 2006 | 9 ha | 2 ha | 11 ha |
| 2007 | 26 ha | 2 ha | 28 ha |
| 2008 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2009 | 18 ha | 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2010 | 77 ha | 5 ha | 82 ha |
| 2011 | 7 ha | 3 ha | 10 ha |
| 2012 | 9 ha | 2 ha | 11 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2015 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | 7 ha | 10 ha |
| 2017 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2018 | 20 ha | 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | 6 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2022 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2023 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2024 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2025 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 11,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,300 ha
- Overall change
- −93 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Saint George's stayed about the same size, at about 11,300 hectares: new forest grew on about 40 hectares, and about 132 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 Saint George's?
- 72%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 28%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Towns and roads43% · 274 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Farms, pasture and plantations29% · 182 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Shifting farming17% · 106 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes9.3% · 59 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Logging1.4% · 9 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 562 ha | 4.6% | 383 ha |
| Castries, Saint Lucia | 382 ha | 2.8% | 318 ha |
| Fort-de-France, Martinique | 301 ha | 3% | 287 ha |
| Roseau, Dominica | 2,400 ha | 17% | 294 ha |
| Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda | 509 ha | 9.1% | 479 ha |
Use this data
Put Saint George's's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Saint George's
How much forest has Saint George's lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Saint George's has lost about 634 hectares of forest (about 890 football pitches): 5.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (72%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
What is causing deforestation around Saint George's?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (43%), farms, pasture and plantations (29%), shifting farming (17%). About 455 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 Saint George's?
The worst year was 2004, when about 296 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Saint George's growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Saint George's stayed about the same size, at about 11,300 hectares: new forest grew on about 40 hectares, and about 132 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 Saint George's 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 Saint George's, 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 Saint George's, 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.