North Korea’s environment is in crisis. Some have suggested that it is in such bad shape that it could destabilize the country. Only 16% of North Korea's land is suitable for agriculture, the rest is arid and mountainous.The problems with the environment started in the 1950’s when forest fires and deforestation happened during the Korean War. In the 1990’s thousands of people died from a major famine. The major famine was caused by droughts and floods that destroyed crops. People had to depend on forest for food and fuel. This had a major effect on the forest cover. North Korea ‘s land is turning into semi-desert and desert land cover due to the deforestation, misuse of soil and bad farming practices. In the last 20 years North Korea has lost over million hectares of forests, which causes loss of soil, floods and droughts. Now thousands of people have to eat grass and tree bark to survive. Satellite imaging is now being used to monitor agricultural production, land cover, and deforestation, forest fires, and floods.