Kenya has emerged as a rare success story in the fight against deforestation, posting a net forest gain of 173,000 hectares since 1990, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2025 report released October 21.
The gains have come against the backdrop of the East Africa region shedding 1.57 million hectares annually in the latest period, with Tanzania destroying 469,000 hectares yearly, which is third-worst globally, due to mining and shifting cultivation. Uganda lost 28,100 hectares per year and Ethiopia’s 26.7 million hectares mainly for teff farming and eucalyptus plantations.
Home to 16% of global forests (662.6 million hectares in 2025), Africa lost 116.9 million hectares since 1990, an 15% erosion rate double the world’s 4.7%. Africa’s deforestation, at 3.45 million hectares yearly, is largely agricultural as smallholder farms and commercial plantations clear primary forests.
Once plagued by annual losses of 28,800 hectares between 2000 and 2015 fueled by charcoal production, farming encroachment, and droughts, Kenya has reversed course dramatically.
Forest cover climbed 1.47% yearly in the past decade, reaching 3.914 million hectares in 2025, up from 3.741 million in 1990. This equates to about 6.7% of Kenya’s land area, a modest but critical buffer against climate woes in a country where forests underpin water security and generate livelihoods for millions.
Experts credit Kenya’s turnaround to ambitious policies like the 2016 National Climate Change Action Plan and the 10% tree cover target under Vision 2030, bolstered by community-led initiatives. These include agroforestry and mangrove restoration along the coast and planting of millions of seedlings annually through government, civil society and community initiatives.
In the Aberdare and Mau forests, Kenya’s water towers, reforestation has reclaimed degraded lands, helping to reduce soil erosion and boosting carbon sequestration.
Mangroves, which are part of the global 15.5-million-hectare network that gained 65,900 hectares yearly, now shield coastal communities from rising seas and storms.
Moreover, Kenya’s 37.2 million hectares of other wooded land, ranking ninth globally, provides non-timber resources like honey and medicinal plants, sustaining rural economies without felling mature trees.
However, charcoal remains a thorny issue, with illegal logging in dryland areas threatening fragile acacia woodlands.
According to the report, there has been a slowdown in global annual forest loss to 4.12 million hectares, the lowest in decades. Earth’s forests span 4.14 billion hectares, or 32% of land surface, down marginally from 4.20 billion hectares a decade ago, with net losses has halved since the 1990s thanks to afforestation and reduced tropical clearances.
Globally, deforestation dipped to 10.9 million hectares annually in the latest period, offset by 6.78 million hectares of expansion through tree planting and natural regrowth.
However, deforestation hotspots persist, particularly in the tropics where 88% of losses occur, driven by agriculture, logging, and urbanization. Primary forests, which are vital biodiversity reservoirs, shrank by just 1.61 million hectares yearly, a 59% improvement from 2000 levels, while planted forests increased to 312 million hectares worldwide.
The FRA report notes that disturbances like fires scorched 76 million hectares globally in recent years, with Africa bearing 60% of the brunt.
Still, with 23% of its forests protected, Kenya is poised to exceed its restoration pledges under the Bonn Challenge, aiming for 5.1 million hectares by 2030.
Globally, the FRA 2025 signals cautious optimism. Carbon stocks stabilized at 714 gigatons, with forests absorbing 35% of emissions via 247 gigatons in aboveground biomass. Biodiversity hotspots, like 813 million hectares in protected zones (up 251 million since 1990), shield endangered species, though 29% of forests remain primary down 110 million hectares overall.
