1. Global Environmental Trends: Resources at Risk
World Resources Institute

2. Forest Loss Is Severe in the Tropics
Percentage of Tropical Forest Cleared by Region Between 1960 and 1990
Although public awareness of the impact of global deforestation has increased in recent years, it has not slowed the rate of deforestation appreciably. For more information see
Source: Dirk Bryant, Daniel Nielsen, and Laura Tangley, The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economics on the Edge, available at (World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C., 1997), p 14.

3. Amazon Deforestation Remains High
Annual Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon,
In the Brazilian Amazon, the annual deforestation rate declined from a peak of more than 20,000 square kilometers in 1988 to just over 11,000 square kilometers in However, data from the Brazilian Government show that it rebounded to more than 29,000 square kilometers in 1995 before declining to 18,100 square kilometers in For more information see
Source: Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE), Average Annual Deforestation Rate in the Legal Amazon. Available online at (January 29, 1998).
Note: The 1988 value represents the average annual deforestation rate for

4. Many of Earth’s Forests Have Been Cleared or Degraded
The Current State of the Earth’s Original Forests
Over the past 8,000 years, nearly one half of the forests that once covered the Earth have been converted to farms, pastures, and other uses. According to a World Resources Institute (WRI) assessment, just one fifth of the Earth’s original forest remains in large, relatively natural ecosystems -- what are known as “frontier forests.” For more information see
Source: Dirk Bryant, Daniel Nielsen, and Laura Tangley, The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge, available at (World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C., 1997), p. 12.

5. Water Demand is Growing, But Supplies Are Limited
Water Withdrawals by Region
In some areas, water withdrawals are so high, relative to supply, that surface water supplies are literally shrinking and groundwater reserves are being depleted faster than they can be replenished by precipitation. For more information see
Source: Data Table “Freshwater Resources and Withdrawals, ”, available in PDF format through
Note: Years of data vary by country from 1987 to 1995.

6. Agriculture Dominates Water Use, But Its Share Will Decline
Water Withdrawals by Sector, 1987
Water use in agriculture is slated to increase as world food demand rises. Agriculture already accounts for about 70 percent of water consumption worldwide, and the United Nations projects a 50- to 100-percent increase in irrigation water by For more information see
Source: Data Table “Freshwater Resources and Withdrawals, ”, available in PDF format through

7. Low-Income Nations Are Especially Vulnerable to Water Scarcity
Projected Water Vulnerability in 2025, Taking into Account National Economic Status
Freshwater ecosystems have lost a greater proportion of their species and habitat than ecosystems on land or in the oceans; in addition, they are probably in greater danger of further losses from dams, pollution, overfishing, and other threats. In addition to being biologically rich, freshwater systems play a vital role in the lives of many people, providing a source of water, food, and employment. For more information see
Source: Paul Raskin, Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World (Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm, 1997), pp
Note: Data for map taken from mid-range projections, Water Resources Vulnerability Index I, Conventional Development Scenario for 2025.

8. River Habitats Have Been Heavily Altered
Waterways Altered for Navigation,
Dams and channelization remain the two most pervsive threats to freshwater ecosystems today, with dramatic effects on species abundance and diversity. The scale and extent of these human impacts on freshwater systems have risen precipitously in recent years. In 1950, there were 5,270 large dams; today, there are more than 36,500. For more information see
Source: Janet N. Abramowitz, “Imperiled Waters, Impoverished Future: The Decline of Freshwater Ecosystems,” Worldwatch Paper No. 128 (Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C., 1996), p. 13.

9. How Much Are Nature’s Services Worth?
Global GNP
(US $18 trillion)
Ecosystem Services
(US $33 trillion)
Estimates of Human Economic Activities and Ecosystem Services
What are nature’s life-support services worth? Practitioners in the young field of ecological economics believe concrete numbers are required to help nations avoid unsustainable economic choices. In one of the first efforts to calculate a global number, a team of researchers has put an average price tag of US$33 trillion a year on these fundamental ecosystem services. That is nearly twice the value of the global gross national product of US$18 trillion. For more information see
Source: Adapted from R. Costanza et al., “The Value of the World’s Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital,” Nature, Vol. 387 (1997), p. 256, Table 2.

10. Reef Threats Are Extensive
Percentage of Reefs at Risk from Individual Threat Factors
Overexploitation (overfishing and destructive fishing practices) and coastal development pose the greatest potential threat to reefs, with each of these threats affecting about one third of all reefs. For more information see
Source: Lauretta Burke, et al., Reefs at Risk: A Map-Based Indicator of Potential Threats to the World’s Coral Reefs, available at (World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C., 1998).

11. Some Fish Stocks Have Collapsed from Overfishing
Commercial Harvests in the Northwest Atlantic of Some Important Fish Stocks,
According to an FAO analysis, based on fish harvest records from 1950 to 1994, 35 percent of the most important commercial fish stocks show a pattern of declining yields and require immediate action to halt overharvesting. Another 25 percent show steady yields but are being fished at their biological limit and are vulnerable to declines if fishing levels increase. For more information see
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Fishstat-PC (FAO, Rome, 1997).
NON COD CATCH
COD CATCH

12. Bird Populations Are Under Siege Worldwide
Threatened Birds as a Percentage of Total Known Avian Species
Approximately 11 percent of all known bird species are threatened with extinction. Habitat fragmentation or loss is the principal factor in this decline, but harvesting for food and trade and competition from nonnative species are important as well.
Source: Data Table “Biodiversity: Globally Threatened Species; Mammals, Birds, and Higher Plants, 1990s”, available in PDF format through