Tropical forest loss falls in 2025, but world still off track on deforestation goals
Tropical primary forest loss dropped 36% in 2025 compared to 2024, driven partly by fewer fires and stronger enforcement in countries like Brazil, but the world remains far from meeting its 2030 goal to halt deforestation. Despite progress, the tropics still lost 4.3 million hectares of primary forest—more than the size of Switzerland—with smaller forest-rich nations losing forests at alarming proportional rates. Fire, climate change, weak governance, and agricultural expansion continue to threaten forests, making recent gains fragile. While policy actions show promise, long-term success depends on sustained enforcement, community involvement, and financial incentives to keep forests intact.
- ▪Tropical primary forest loss fell 36% in 2025, with non-fire loss down 23%—the lowest in a decade—but total loss remained equivalent to 11 football fields per minute.
- ▪Brazil saw a 41% drop in non-fire primary forest loss in 2025 due to stronger environmental enforcement under President Lula, while Bolivia emerged as the second-highest deforester globally.
- ▪Madagascar had the highest proportional forest loss in 2025, clearing nearly 2% of its remaining primary forests, and countries like Nicaragua and Laos are losing forests faster than larger nations.
- ▪The Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded its highest non-fire forest loss on record, mostly due to small-scale farming and fuelwood harvesting, despite a 5% overall decline in forest loss.
- ▪Indonesia’s primary forest loss rose 14% in 2025, driven by food estate projects and mining, though long-term declines are attributed to policy measures like a permanent moratorium on new forest permits.
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Tropical primary forest loss fell sharply in 2025, down 36% from 2024, but the decline may reflect fewer fires rather than sustained progress.Despite the drop, the world still lost an area of tropical primary forest larger than Switzerland last year, leaving countries far off track from their 2030 goal of ending deforestation.Smaller forest-rich countries are losing remaining forests fastest, while major forest nations like Brazil show gains linked to stronger enforcement.Climate-driven fires, weak governance and commodity pressures continue to drive forest loss, making recent gains fragile and uncertain.See All Key Ideas (function($) { $(document).ready(function() { const bulletPoints = $('.bulletpoints'); const toggle = $('.bulletpoints-wrapper .content-expander'); if…
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