Complex sentence: In the 1950s, forests covered 70 percent of the land area in Laos; yet, by 1992, according to government estimates, forest coverage had decreased by nearly one-third, to just 47 percent of total land area.
Split into simpler sentences: In the 1950s, forests covered 70 percent of the land area in Laos. By 1992, according to government estimates, forest coverage had decreased by nearly one-third, to just 47 percent of total land area.