Almost half of the Earth's forests have already been destroyed. Worldwide, some 26 hectares of forest - approximately the size of 36 football pitches are being lost every minute. Large-scale and unsustainable logging practices have been one of the main causes for forest loss in many temperate and tropical countries. The need for agricultural land is another cause of forest loss. In the Hungarian lowlands, for example, forest degradation results from increased agricultural activities supported by irrigation regimes.
Fires are a considerable threat to forest biodiversity.
Although some types of forests have evolved to recover quickly from fires, the frequency and intensity of fires is increasing due to human activities. Tropical rainforests that have undergone extensive logging are particularly vulnerable to fires. In 1997 and 1998 more than 14 million hectares of forest were burned worldwide.