Report says global forest loss fell in 2025, while wildfire pressure remained a major factor
The Facts
- The World Resources Institute's annual analysis reported that global tree loss fell 14% in 2025 from the previous year.
- Tropical primary forest loss fell in 2025 after reaching a record high in 2024.
- The world lost 4.3 million hectares of tropical primary forest in 2025, a 36% decline from 2024.
- The 2025 loss of tropical primary forest was roughly equivalent to the area of Denmark, or about 11 football fields per minute.
- Multiple reports said the decline reflected both government action to reduce deforestation and a relative lull after the extreme fire conditions of 2024.
- Brazil was identified as a major driver of the global decline in tropical forest loss, with several reports attributing much of the improvement to reduced deforestation there.
- Despite the year-over-year decline, tropical primary forest loss in 2025 remained above levels from a decade earlier.
- Researchers and news reports said the main ongoing pressures on forests include agricultural expansion and increasingly severe fires linked to warmer temperatures and drought.
Context
Who produced the data in this report?
The figures were published through Global Forest Watch and prepared by the World Resources Institute with the University of Maryland, using satellite-based analysis of tree-cover change NYT,Ouest France,Straits Times.
Why did forest loss decline in 2025?
Sources say the drop reflected a mix of stronger policy action, especially in Brazil, and the fact that 2025 followed an exceptionally severe fire year in 2024, making part of the decline a rebound from those conditions Yahoo News,Reuters,Business Times.
Why does this still matter if losses fell?
Because the decline did not return forest loss to earlier baselines: several reports said 2025 tropical primary forest loss was still higher than a decade ago, while fires and agricultural expansion continue to threaten forests and climate goals Bloomberg Business,ThePrint,@businessline,Salzburger Nachrich….
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