SEOUL – North Korea has lost forest area the size of 330,000 football pitches in nearly two decades, reported Yonhap news agency, citing a data showed today.
From 2001 to 2019, North Korea lost a total of 233,000ha of tree cover, according to data by Global Forest Watch, a global monitoring service.
The country’s deforestation area increased sharply in 2019, recording the highest figure during the period with 27,500ha of tree loss.
Yonhap’s report said the provinces of Ryanggang, Jagang and South Hamgyong are among the regions that face the biggest loss, accounting for 64% of total tree cover loss during the period.
It added that North Korea is known for severe deforestation due to excessive logging for fuel, which has been blamed for flooding and many other natural disasters. It suffered from heavy rainfall and back-to-back typhoons last summer.
Leader Kim Jong-un has urged efforts to restore the forests since he came to power, ordering the construction of greenhouse farms and tree nurseries across the country and making on-site inspections to check on progress. – Bernama, March 3, 2021
