Global Tropical Forest Loss Slows in 2025
New satellite data indicates that the loss of tropical rainforests slowed last year, largely due to Brazil's intensified efforts to reduce deforestation in the Amazon. Researchers estimate that nearly 43,000 square kilometers (17,000 square miles) of old-growth tropical forests were lost globally in 2025, an area roughly the size of Denmark.
This figure represents a decline of about one-third compared to the record losses recorded in 2024. However, scientists caution that tropical forests—some of the Earth’s most vital ecosystems—are still disappearing at a rate significantly faster than a decade ago.
Concerns remain that the combined effects of climate change and the anticipated arrival of the warming El Niño weather pattern later this year could increase both the likelihood and severity of forest fires.
Analysis and Trends in Forest Loss
The latest analysis from the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland shows a 36% reduction in tropical forest loss in 2025. While the data carries some uncertainty—since satellite detection of losses occurring at the end of one year may only be confirmed in the following year—scientists express confidence in the overall downward trend.
The reduction partly reflects an easing of the unprecedented fires seen in 2024, which were mitigated by the cooler La Niña conditions instead of the warmer El Niño. Additionally, researchers attribute the decline to increased forest protection efforts in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Malaysia.
"It's incredibly encouraging to see the decline in 2025," said Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of Global Forest Watch at the World Resources Institute. "[It] highlights how when we have political will [and] the leaders in charge who want to do something for forests, we can see real results in the data," she added.
Brazil’s Role in Reducing Deforestation
Brazil, which hosts the world’s largest rainforest, has seen the effects of stronger environmental policies and law enforcement contributing to the slowdown in deforestation. Excluding losses caused by fires, an estimated 5,700 square kilometers (2,200 square miles) of old-growth tropical forests were lost in Brazil in 2025—the lowest figure since this analysis began in 2002.
Importance and Threats to Tropical Rainforests
Tropical rainforests are home to millions of species and play a crucial role in absorbing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, thereby helping to regulate the Earth’s temperature. Despite their importance, these forests have faced increasing pressure due to decades of deliberate land clearance for agriculture and logging, as well as the impacts of climate change, which scientists warn can create conditions conducive to larger and more intense fires.
At the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021, world leaders pledged to "halt and reverse" forest loss by 2030. However, progress toward this goal remains significantly off track. In 2024, tropical forests were lost at the fastest rate ever recorded, driven by fires exacerbated by human-induced climate change and the El Niño weather pattern.
Challenges Ahead: Climate Change and Fire Risks
"Forests are well equipped to cope with normal climate," said Rod Taylor, global director for forest and nature conservation at the World Resources Institute. "With these new intense fires and droughts and so on, we really have to think about how to make forests more resilient and proof them against climate and fire," he added.
Researchers express concern that the threat posed by fires could increase later this year due to the combined effects of climate change and a new phase of El Niño, although predictions remain uncertain.
"Climate change and land clearing have shortened the fuse on global forest fires," said Professor Matthew Hansen of the University of Maryland. "Without urgent action to [...] manage fire more effectively, we risk pushing the world's most important forests past recovery."
Climate Impacts in Europe
In a separate report released on Wednesday, the European Union's Copernicus climate service detailed how climate change contributed to intense heatwaves, wildfires, and droughts across large parts of Europe in 2024. Europe, already the world’s fastest-warming continent, saw at least 95% of its area experience above-average annual temperatures.
The elevated temperatures created conditions conducive to widespread wildfires, with more than 10,000 square kilometers (4,000 square miles) burned—an area larger than Cyprus. Even traditionally cold regions were affected, with Alpine glaciers continuing to lose ice and temperatures in the Arctic Circle reaching 30°C in July.
The average surface temperature of Europe’s seas was also the highest on record, with the Mediterranean Sea particularly impacted.
The report also highlighted progress in climate change mitigation efforts, noting that nearly half of Europe’s electricity now comes from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydropower.
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