Tropical forest loss eases after record year: researchers
The rate of tropical forest loss decreased in 2025 after a record high in 2024, but it remains concerning at 11 football fields per minute. Researchers noted a significant decline in forest loss in Brazil, attributed to stronger environmental policies under President Lula. However, global forest loss is still 70% above the target needed to meet the 2030 goal of halting deforestation.
- ▪Tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025, with a loss of 4.3 million hectares, down 36% from 2024.
- ▪Brazil's forest loss was 41% lower than in 2024, the lowest rate on record, due to stronger environmental policies.
- ▪Despite the progress, global forest loss remains 70% above the level required to meet the 2030 goal.
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The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday (April 29, 2026).The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest last year — down 36% from 2024, said researchers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland."A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging — it shows what decisive government action can achieve," said Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of WRI's Global Forest Watch platform."But part of the decline reflects a lull after an extreme fire year," Ms.
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