On 25 March, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published the key findings of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (FRA 2010), concluding that world deforestation, mainly the conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land, has decreased over the past ten years but continues at an alarmingly high rate in many countries. FRA 2010 is the most comprehensive assessment of forests and forestry to date – not only in terms of the number of countries and people involved – but also in terms of scope. It examines the current status and recent trends for about 90 variables covering the extent, condition, uses and values of forests and other wooded land, with the aim of assessing all benefits from forest resources.