City report · Eastern Cape, South Africa
Mdantsane Air quality today
Air quality in Mdantsane currently reads AQI 28 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 28
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.0
- tree cover
- 41.5%
- trees in this area
- 130K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Mdantsane Unit 1, Mdantsane, 5219, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Mar 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Mdantsane · AQI 28 (Good)
Mdantsane's tree count comes to 130,376 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Mdantsane today: AQI 28, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 16:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · East London, Buffalo City Metro, South Africa, 14.7 km away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.0
PM10
16.2
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, South African Air Quality Information System - SAAQIS
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mdantsane's daily AQI at 42 on average, from 30 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 75 on Nov 11.
Where Mdantsane stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mdantsane: Healthy tree cover
41.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
130,376
Target trees
130,376
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mdantsane lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mdantsane has lost about 1,100 hectares of forest (about 1,500 football pitches): 7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,100 haabout 1,500 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,010 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 36 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 83 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 197 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 | 16 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2002 | 22 ha | 7 ha | 29 ha |
| 2003 | 23 ha | 6 ha | 29 ha |
| 2004 | 31 ha | 9 ha | 40 ha |
| 2005 | 38 ha | 3 ha | 41 ha |
| 2006 | 31 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2007 | 13 ha | 2 ha | 15 ha |
| 2008 | 41 ha | under 1 ha | 41 ha |
| 2009 | 82 ha | 2 ha | 84 ha |
| 2010 | 18 ha | 2 ha | 20 ha |
| 2011 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2012 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2013 | 37 ha | under 1 ha | 37 ha |
| 2014 | 42 ha | 1 ha | 43 ha |
| 2015 | 52 ha | 4 ha | 56 ha |
| 2016 | 34 ha | 3 ha | 37 ha |
| 2017 | 50 ha | 2 ha | 52 ha |
| 2018 | 74 ha | 15 ha | 89 ha |
| 2019 | 37 ha | under 1 ha | 38 ha |
| 2020 | 169 ha | 28 ha | 197 ha |
| 2021 | 69 ha | 6 ha | 74 ha |
| 2022 | 24 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2023 | 14 ha | 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2024 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2025 | 46 ha | under 1 ha | 47 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Mdantsane?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good55% · 601 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good35% · 383 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back4.8% · 53 ha
Also: wildfires, mining and energy, logging, shifting farming, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 12,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,600 ha
- Overall change
- −425 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mdantsane shrank from about 12,000 hectares to 11,600 hectares, a net loss of about 425 hectares (−3.5%). New forest grew on about 92 hectares, but 518 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.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Mdantsane
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- East London15.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 28
- Bhisho32.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 21
- Queenstown142.9 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 30
- Mthatha177.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 51
- Gqeberha230.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 60
- Kariega238.9 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 23
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Frequently asked
Questions about Mdantsane
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mdantsane right now?
The latest reading for Mdantsane shows an AQI of 28 (Good), measured Nov 11, 16:00 local time by the East London, Buffalo City Metro, South Africa ground monitoring station, 14.7 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Mdantsane today?
At AQI 28 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Mdantsane been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mdantsane's daily AQI at 42 on average, from 30 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 75 on Nov 11. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Mdantsane lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mdantsane has lost about 1,100 hectares of forest (about 1,500 football pitches): 7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is slowing down: about 36 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 83 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mdantsane shrank from about 12,000 hectares to 11,600 hectares, a net loss of about 425 hectares (−3.5%). New forest grew on about 92 hectares, but 518 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Mdantsane?
Mdantsane has an estimated 130,376 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 41.5% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mdantsane need?
Mdantsane has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Mdantsane's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Mdantsane Unit 1, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Mdantsane Unit 1; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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