How many acres of rainforest are destroyed each second?

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) found that tropical deforestation rates increased 8.5 percent from 2000-2005 when compared with the 1990s.

All round the world tropical rainforests lost 10,240,000 hectares (25 million acres) every year between 1990 and 2005.

That's:

• 10,240,000 hectares (25,000,000 acres) in one year. Or
• 197,000 ha (481,000 acres) in one week. Or
• 28,000 ha (69,000 acres) in one day. Or
• 1172 ha (2861 acres) in one hour. Or
• 19.5 ha (48 acres) every minute.
• 0.33 ha (0.8 acres) every second.

That's about 36 football fields of rainforest lost every minute.

An American Football field measures 0.53 ha (1.32 acres).

Countries annually losing the most rainforest 1990 and 2005:

• Brazil: 2,974,867 ha (7,351,000 acres) per year
• Indonesia: 1,447,800 ha (3,577,000 acres)
• Papua New Guinea: 266,600 ha (660,000 acres)
• Bolivia: 135,200 ha (334,000 acres)
• Peru: 123,000 ha (304,000 acres)

More information at the link below.