Philippines · Zamboanga Peninsula · 2 cities
Air quality in Zamboanga Peninsula today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Zamboanga has the cleanest air of the 2 cities we track in Zamboanga Peninsula (AQI 16, Good), and Pagadian the worst (AQI 43, Good). Pagadian has the most tree cover, at 49.9% — #28 of 99 cities measured in the Philippines.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
- cities tracked
- 2
- average tree cover
- 36.2%
- Philippines: 40.9%
- worst air now: Pagadian
- 43
- cleanest air now: Zamboanga
- 16
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Zamboanga Peninsula
Air quality today across Zamboanga Peninsula, city by city
| Zamboanga | 16Good | 22.5% | 16.6K | #89 of 99 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pagadian | 43Good | 49.9% | — | #28 of 99 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in the Philippines.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Zamboanga Peninsula lost?
Since 2001, Zamboanga Peninsula has lost about 8,070 hectares of forest (about 11,000 football pitches): 5.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 8,070 haabout 11,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 7,390 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 366 ha | 18 ha | 384 ha |
| 2002 | 320 ha | 22 ha | 342 ha |
| 2003 | 269 ha | 72 ha | 341 ha |
| 2004 | 113 ha | 12 ha | 125 ha |
| 2005 | 328 ha | 36 ha | 364 ha |
| 2006 | 263 ha | 29 ha | 292 ha |
| 2007 | 211 ha | 29 ha | 240 ha |
| 2008 | 105 ha | 14 ha | 119 ha |
| 2009 | 415 ha | 47 ha | 462 ha |
| 2010 | 1,710 ha | 64 ha | 1,770 ha |
| 2011 | 5 ha | 2 ha | 7 ha |
| 2012 | 322 ha | 25 ha | 347 ha |
| 2013 | 147 ha | 21 ha | 168 ha |
| 2014 | 436 ha | 50 ha | 486 ha |
| 2015 | 121 ha | 25 ha | 146 ha |
| 2016 | 310 ha | 61 ha | 371 ha |
| 2017 | 275 ha | 57 ha | 332 ha |
| 2018 | 189 ha | 11 ha | 200 ha |
| 2019 | 123 ha | 16 ha | 139 ha |
| 2020 | 184 ha | 17 ha | 201 ha |
| 2021 | 115 ha | 19 ha | 134 ha |
| 2022 | 136 ha | 7 ha | 143 ha |
| 2023 | 225 ha | 11 ha | 236 ha |
| 2024 | 500 ha | 9 ha | 509 ha |
| 2025 | 206 ha | 8 ha | 214 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 247 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 249 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2010, when about 1,770 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Zamboanga Peninsula?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good73% · 5,900 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good17% · 1,340 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back7.3% · 591 ha
Also: mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
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