According to FAO's Forestry Department, deforestation is the "conversion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction of tree canopy cover below the 10% threshold" (FAO Forestry Department 2000, p. 10).  Furthermore, FAO emphasizes that "such a loss can only be caused and maintained through a continued man-induced or natural perturbation" (FAO Forestry Department 2000, p. 10).