Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Shenzhen
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Shenzhen has lost about 348 hectares of forest (about 490 football pitches): 5.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (84%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 5,980 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 348 ha5.8% of it, about 490 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 292 hadeforestation, 84% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201938 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km north 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 Shenzhen, year by year
The worst year was 2019, when about 38 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 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 7 ha |
| 2002 | 7 ha | 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2003 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2004 | 16 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2005 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2006 | 20 ha | 2 ha | 22 ha |
| 2007 | 22 ha | 4 ha | 26 ha |
| 2008 | 13 ha | 3 ha | 16 ha |
| 2009 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2010 | 35 ha | under 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2011 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2012 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 7 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2014 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2015 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2017 | 9 ha | 4 ha | 13 ha |
| 2018 | 21 ha | 13 ha | 34 ha |
| 2019 | 32 ha | 6 ha | 38 ha |
| 2020 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2021 | 8 ha | 3 ha | 11 ha |
| 2022 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2023 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2024 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2025 | 9 ha | 4 ha | 13 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 8,890 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 9,450 ha
- Overall change
- +556 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Shenzhen grew from about 8,890 hectares to 9,450 hectares, a net gain of about 556 hectares (+6.3%). New forest grew on about 892 hectares, while 336 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 Shenzhen?
- 84%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 13%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 2.8%cause unknown
- Towns and roads84% · 292 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging12% · 41 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Unknown causes2.7% · 10 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, shifting farming.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Nearby cities losing forest
Use this data
Put Shenzhen's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Shenzhen
How much forest has Shenzhen lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Shenzhen has lost about 348 hectares of forest (about 490 football pitches): 5.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (84%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
What is causing deforestation around Shenzhen?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (84%), logging (12%), storms, floods and other natural causes (under 1%). About 292 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 Shenzhen?
The worst year was 2019, when about 38 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Shenzhen growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Shenzhen grew from about 8,890 hectares to 9,450 hectares, a net gain of about 556 hectares (+6.3%). New forest grew on about 892 hectares, while 336 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 Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen, 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 Shenzhen, 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.