In 2025, the loss of primary tropical forests was reduced by 36% compared to the previous year, according to the report from the GLAD laboratory at the University of Maryland, along with Global Forest Watch, Global Nature Watch, and the World Resources Institute (WRI).
The world lost 4.3 million hectares of primary tropical forests, equivalent to more than 11 football fields per minute. Although the figure represents progress in the fight against deforestation, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia ranked among the 10 countries with the greatest loss of these ecosystems.
Ranking of Most Affected Countries
- Brazil: first place worldwide, despite reducing primary forest loss by 42%.
- Bolivia: second place globally, with its second highest record of forest loss.
- Peru: fifth country with the greatest loss, although it achieved an 8% reduction.
- Colombia: eighth place, with a 17% decrease.
Factors Driving Deforestation
The report identifies the main drivers as:
- Agricultural expansion: soy, cattle ranching, palm oil.
- Mining: gold and other minerals.
- Forest fires: more than double the burned tree cover in the past three years compared to two decades ago.
- Climate crisis: larger and more damaging fires.
Policies and Advances
The report highlights that the global reduction was due to changes in public policies, law enforcement, and corporate actions.
- In Brazil, the new PPCDAm (Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon) was extended to all biomes under the mandate of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The country recorded its lowest level of non-fire-related loss, 41% less than in 2024.
- The environmental agency IBAMA increased infraction notices by 81% and fines by 63% between 2023 and 2025.
- In Colombia, the 17% reduction was linked to measures such as livestock traceability, recognition of Indigenous Territorial Entities (ETI), and forest concessions for rural communities.
- In Peru, the 8% decrease was associated with stricter regulations, although agricultural expansion remains a driver of loss.
- In Bolivia, after the record fires of 2024, the country again recorded critical levels in 2025, with much of the loss attributed to human-caused fires.
Persistent Challenges
The report warns that despite the progress, there are still economic incentives to transform forests and ignore their environmental benefits. Additionally, some Brazilian states have passed laws that weaken environmental protection, such as the elimination of tax incentives in Rondônia, Maranhão, and Mato Grosso to prevent the purchase of soy in deforested areas.
The year 2025 marked a global advance in reducing tropical deforestation, but Latin America remains the epicenter of loss, with Brazil and Bolivia in the top global positions. Public policies and law enforcement have proven to be effective tools, although the pressure from agribusiness and fires linked to climate change continue to threaten the planet’s most valuable ecosystems.
