World Lost 100 Million Hectares Of Forest In Two Decades: UN

 World Lost 100 Million Hectares Of Forest In Two Decades: UN

聯合國：全球20年來損失1億公頃森林

【摘要2020.9.28.自由】◎陳成良

The world has lost nearly 100 million hectares of forests in two decades, marking a steady decline though at a slower pace than before, a UN agency reported Tuesday.

一個聯合國機構週二報告說，過去20年來，全球已經失去近1億公頃的森林，儘管減少速度低於以往，但仍穩步下降。

The proportion of forest to total land area fell from 31.9 percent in 2000 to 31.2 percent in 2020, now some 4.1 billion hectares, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

根據聯合國糧農組織（FAO）的數據，森林佔土地總面積的比率從2000年的31.9%下降到2020年的31.2%，目前約41億公頃。

It marks "a net loss of almost 100 million hectares of the world’s forests,"the FAO said.

FAO表示，這標誌著「世界森林淨損失近1億公頃」。

Deforestation has hit particularly hard sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, where it has accelerated in the last decade, but also Latin and Central America, where it has nonetheless slowed down.

森林砍伐對撒哈拉以南非洲和東南亞的影響尤為嚴重。過去10年間，這些地區的森林砍伐速度加快，但拉丁美洲和中美洲有所放緩。

Forests are being cut down mainly to make way for crops or farm animals, especially in less developed countries.

砍伐森林主要是為了種植莊稼或飼養家畜，特別是在較不發達的國家。

新聞辭典

pace：名詞，（發生的）速度； （移動的）步調。例句：I don’t like the pace of modern life.（我不喜歡現代生活的節奏。）

deforestation：名詞，砍伐森林。例句：Mudslides caused by deforestation.（山崩是因砍伐森林所致。）

make way for something：慣用語，為某事騰挪出空間。例句：The beautiful old residence have been torn down to make way for an ugly new tower.（那棟美麗老宅已被拆除，以便騰出空間蓋一座醜陋的新塔。）