Tropical Forest Loss Decreases After Record Year Decline

The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest last year, down 36 percent from 2024, according to researchers from the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland.

This drop is encouraging, showing what decisive government action can achieve, said Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of WRI’s Global Forest Watch platform. However, part of the decline reflects a lull after an extreme fire year, with fires fueled by climate change becoming a “dangerous new normal,” threatening recent gains in deforestation efforts.

Despite last year’s progress, global forest loss remains 70 percent above levels required to meet the 2030 goal of halting and reversing forest loss. The warming El Nino phenomenon is expected to return mid-year, potentially raising temperatures and increasing threats of heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires.

Last year’s forest loss was still significant, about the size of Denmark and 46 percent higher than a decade ago. Brazil saw sharp declines in forest loss due to stronger environmental policies since President Lula took office in 2023, with Brazil’s forest loss excluding fires being 41 percent lower than in 2024.

Government policies also helped limit forest loss in neighboring countries like Colombia and Indonesia, where it increased but remained below previous highs. However, tropical forest loss remained high in Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Madagascar.