10 Aug 2017

Forest on Wallis depleted by a third

2:49 pm on 10 August 2017

A survey has found that the French Pacific island of Wallis has lost about a third of its forests in the past decade.

no caption

Photo: AFP

According to the NGO Conservation International, there are now between 30 and 40 percent fewer trees on the island than in 2004.

The study, which has been reported by the island's broadcaster, attributes the loss to a range of factors, including climate change and the impact of invasive species.

Experts are now taking stock of the forests by cataloguing all trees with trunks of at least 10cm in diameter.

The process is aimed at getting exact figures to facilitate the management and exploitation of the forests.