The Voice of America(VOA) reports that deforestation has forced dozens of species of animals and plants to the brink of extinction in North Korea.
 
Citing a World Bank report on deforestation and biodiversity in North Korea, VOA said Tuesday that 61 species of mammals, birds, fish and vegetation were on the verge of extinction as of last year.
 
The World Bank said that the North’s forest deteriorated at an annual average rate of one-point-eight percent between 2000 and 2015. The figure is the sixth highest among 214 countries worldwide.
 
In the 1990s, forests covered 82-thousand square kilometers in North Korea, 34 percent more than in South Korea. But continued deforestation has reduced the size to 62-thousand square kilometers, 19 percent less than in the South.