Africa’s forests have shifted from a net carbon sink to a net carbon source since around 2010 due to large-scale biomass loss.
The heaviest losses occurred in tropical moist forests in Central, Western and Eastern Africa.
Researchers warn that reversing this trend is crucial for meeting global climate goals and protecting biodiversity.
A new scientific assessment has revealed that forests across Africa have undergone a dramatic ecological shift, releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than they absorb. The findings mark a major reversal for one of the world’s most important natural carbon-storage regions.
Researchers used high-resolution satellite imagery, field measurements and machine-learning models to track changes in aboveground woody biomass across the continent’s forest and savanna landscapes from 2007 to 2017. Their analysis shows that while African forests were gaining biomass until 2010, the trend has since reversed sharply.
Between 2007 and 2010, African forests acted as a strong carbon sink, adding hundreds of millions of tonnes of biomass annually. But from 2010 to 2015, the continent began losing biomass at a rapid pace, with losses continuing—though slightly slowing—between 2015 and 2017. Overall, African forests lost roughly 106 billion kilograms of biomass each year during the early 2010s.
Scientists attribute the shift primarily to widespread deforestation, forest degradation, agricultural expansion and unsustainable logging. The most severe losses were recorded in tropical moist broadleaf forests, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar and parts of West Africa.
Although some savanna regions experienced increases in woody vegetation, these gains were far too small to compensate for the steep losses in dense forest zones.
The study’s authors say this represents the most detailed continent-wide analysis yet of changes in Africa’s natural vegetation. The findings have significant climate implications: as African forests transition from absorbing carbon to emitting it, global efforts to limit warming become far more challenging.
Scientists warn that without urgent measures—including stronger forest-protection laws, large-scale restoration efforts and greater climate finance support—Africa’s remaining forests may continue to decline, jeopardising biodiversity, rainfall patterns and global climate targets.
