A sweeping new study shows that Africa’s once-vast forests and woodlands — long considered a critical “carbon sink” helping to absorb greenhouse gases — have, since about 2010, begun releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than they absorb. The shift, most stark between 2010 and 2017, marks a profound change in the continent’s role in the global carbon cycle.
The research, published on 28 November 2025 in the journal Scientific Reports, relied on high-resolution satellite data, ground-based forest measurements, and machine-learning models to map above-ground biomass — essentially, the carbon stored in trees and woody vegetation — across the African continent.
Between 2007 and 2010, African forests still managed to accumulate biomass at a rate of around 439 ± 66 Tg per year. But that trend quickly reversed. From 2010 to 2015, forests lost roughly 132 ± 20 Tg per year, and between 2015 and 2017 the decline continued at about 41 ± 6 Tg per year. Overall, the data indicate that during 2010–2017 the continent lost approximately 106 billion kilograms of forest biomass every year — equivalent to the weight of about 106 million cars.
The hardest-hit zones are the tropical moist broadleaf forests — especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar and regions of West Africa — where deforestation, forest degradation, invasive agriculture, expanding infrastructure and mining have drastically undermined forest density. Though some savanna regions saw limited growth in shrub and woody vegetation, this increase was far too small to offset the massive losses in carbon-rich rainforest zones.
The implications are troubling. Forests that once helped stabilise the climate are now exacerbating climate change. The authors of the study warn that, unless deforestation and degradation are halted, the world may lose one of its most significant natural carbon buffers — making global efforts to curb warming far harder.
To address the crisis, the study’s researchers call for urgent policy action: stronger forest governance, effective protection against illegal logging and forest clearance, and large-scale restoration programmes. Initiatives such as AFR100 — which aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land in Africa by 2030 — are among the recommended solutions.
International climate-finance mechanisms are also being pointed to as critical tools. The newly announced Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), conceived to raise more than US$100 billion for forest conservation by paying countries to leave forests intact, is cited as a promising but underfunded measure — so far, only about US$6.5 billion has been committed. Researchers warn that much greater investments and global cooperation are required if tropical forests are to be preserved as climate stabilisers.
As the world grapples with rising greenhouse-gas emissions, this turning point in Africa’s forests is a sobering reminder that nature’s carbon-absorbing capacities are under severe threat. Without immediate action, forests themselves may increasingly become a source of emissions — intensifying the climate emergency instead of offsetting it.
