FAO launches the FRA 2025 Report
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has just released the latest edition of its Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2025) – a five-yearly global evaluation that stands among the most comprehensive and transparent assessments of the state, trends, management, and use of the world’s forests.
Key findings from FRA 2025
The world’s total forest area is estimated at 4.14 billion hectares, representing about 32% of the Earth’s land surface.
The net annual rate of forest loss has slowed: from 17.6 million ha/year in the 1990s–2000s to about 10.9 million ha/year during 2015–2025.
Primary forests cover at least 1.18 billion hectares, or nearly one-third of the total forest area reported. While losses continue, the rate of loss has declined.
Around 20% of the world’s forests (813 million ha) are now located within legally protected areas.
Over 55% of forests (2.13 billion ha) are covered by long-term management plans, a sign of growing commitment to sustainable management worldwide.
What are the implications for the Mediterranean region?
In the Mediterranean region — where forests are under severe pressure from drought, wildfires, land degradation and changing land use — the findings of FRA 2025 are particularly relevant:
The global results provide a reference for assessing regional and national performance of Mediterranean forests.
The FRA underlines the need for reliable and comparable data: institutions such as the French National Forest Office (ONF) and others can draw on these methodologies to strengthen forest monitoring systems.
For the AIFM, actively engaged in projects promoting the sustainable management of Mediterranean forest ecosystems (such as RESCOM and StrategyMedFor), this report reinforces the case for ecosystem restoration, participatory governance and systematic monitoring.
The findings also call for stronger international cooperation, enhanced national forest monitoring capacities, and increased investment in forest management, governance, and expertise.
A key milestone for global and Mediterranean forestry
The release of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 marks a major moment for the global forest community — and for the Mediterranean region. It provides a robust data framework, a comprehensive analytical tool, and a powerful lever for action.
AIFM invites all its audiences — forestry professionals, scientists, policy makers and the wider public — to reflect on the value and fragility of our forests, and to work together towards a more resilient, sustainable, and globally connected management of Mediterranean forests.
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