Editing Deforestation (section)

== Definition ==
[[File:Annual change in forest area, world map, OWID.png|alt=This screen shot shows a map that highlights countries based on their net change rate of forest area. Areas that appear more blue have a higher net change rate than areas that appear tan. Brown areas indicate a net loss of forest area.|thumb|Forest area net change rate per country in 2020]]
Deforestation is defined as the conversion of forest to other land uses (regardless of whether it is human-induced).<ref name="GFRA2020">{{cite web|title=Global Forest Resource Assessment 2020|url=http://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/2020/en/|access-date=20 September 2020|website=www.fao.org|language=en}}</ref>

''Deforestation'' and ''forest area net change'' are not the same: the latter is the sum of all forest losses (deforestation) and all forest gains (forest expansion) in a given period. Net change, therefore, can be positive or negative, depending on whether gains exceed losses, or vice versa.<ref name="GFRA2020" />