Forests
What's driving the increase in forest fires?
Climate change is a major driver of forest fires, as warmer temperatures and drier conditions make forests more flammable.
Mikaela is a Research Analyst for Global Forest Watch (GFW), where she oversees the addition of new data to the GFW platform. Mikaela manages partnerships with key data providers, investigates new data sources, coordinates the visualization of the data on the platform, and assists with communication and outreach around new data.
Prior to joining WRI, Mikaela researched conservation effectiveness in the Peruvian Amazon for her master’s thesis, using both GIS analyses and qualitative interviews. She also completed an internship with the Wildlife Conservation Society in Peru, where she mapped deforestation within a national park. She also has experience with online mapping and web design.
Mikaela holds a M.S. in Geography and a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Mikaela enjoys hiking, cooking, reading, and exploring new places. She lives in Baltimore, MD with her partner, Daniel.
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Forests
These countries have gained more trees than they have lost
130.9 million hectares of tree cover were gained over the last 20 years, with European countries Ireland and Poland seeing some of the largest increases.
Agriculture, Food and Beverage
This is how much different commodities contribute to deforestation
From cattle, to oil palm and soy, these seven agricultural commodities accounted for 71.9 million hectares of deforestation between 2001 and 2015.
Forests
These charts show what forest loss looks like across the globe
The tropics lost 11.9 million hectares of tree cover in 2019, according to data from the University of Maryland.
Future of the Environment
These charts show just how much forest we're losing every year
Despite a fall in rainforest loss from 2017 to 2018, the three-year moving average continues to rise.
Future of the Environment
2017 was the second-worst year on record for tropical tree loss
Tree cover loss and deforestation pose a major risk to tropical forests, with significant impacts on biodiversity and our climate.