[Diagram/​Map on page 12]

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Disappearance of Tropical Forests Annually

In Asia and Oceania 4.9 million acresa annually

In the Americas 13.8 million acres annually

In Africa 8.9 million acres annually

An area almost four times the size of the Netherlands is destroyed each year

Depletion of Forests

How far has the destruction gone? In 1980, Newsweek magazine reported: “In the time it takes to read this sentence, 8 acres of forest will disappear.” It continued: “Up to half the world’s woodlands may have vanished since 1950, and annual losses now are running between 1 and 2 per cent​—25 to 50 million acres.” Environmental expert Erik Eckholm declared: “It is safe to say that a country the size of Cuba is being destroyed each year.”

Reports now indicate that two thirds of the original forested areas of Latin America have been devoured. In Africa one half of the woodlands have perished. One quarter of Thailand’s forests have been used up in just the past ten years. In the Philippines one seventh of the tree coverage was squandered during the past five years.