Forests around the world disappeared at a rate of 18 soccer fields every minute, a global survey found. Fires accounted for nearly half of the losses.
The planet lost a record amount of forests last year, largely because of fires that raged around the world, data shows.
Loss of pristine rainforests alone reached 6.7 million hectares in 2024, nearly twice as much as in 2023, researchers at the University of Maryland and the World Resources Institute said in an annual update of the state of the world’s forests.
The world lost the equivalent of 18 soccer fields of forested land every minute, the researchers estimated.
The Growing Threat of Fire
Fires are an increasingly dominant driver of tree loss worldwide.
#g-cli-forest-loss-box ,
#g-cli-forest-loss-box .g-artboard {
margin:0 auto;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-box p {
margin:0;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-box .g-aiAbs {
position:absolute;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-box .g-aiImg {
position:absolute;
top:0;
display:block;
width:100% !important;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-box .g-aiSymbol {
position: absolute;
box-sizing: border-box;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-box .g-aiPointText p { white-space: nowrap; }
#g-cli-forest-loss-1050 {
position:relative;
overflow:hidden;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-1050 p {
font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
font-weight:regular;
line-height:19px;
height:auto;
opacity:1;
letter-spacing:0em;
font-size:16px;
text-align:left;
color:rgb(99,99,99);
top:1.3px;
position:static;
text-transform:none;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-top:0;
mix-blend-mode:normal;
font-style:normal;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-1050 .g-pstyle0 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.06em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(77,77,77);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-1050 .g-pstyle1 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:16px;
height:16px;
color:rgb(51,51,51);
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-1050 .g-pstyle2 {
font-weight:500;
height:19px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-1050 .g-pstyle3 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.06em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(206,70,48);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-1050 .g-pstyle4 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-1050 .g-pstyle5 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
text-align:right;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-600 {
position:relative;
overflow:hidden;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-600 p {
font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
font-weight:regular;
line-height:19px;
height:auto;
opacity:1;
letter-spacing:0em;
font-size:16px;
text-align:left;
color:rgb(99,99,99);
top:1.3px;
position:static;
text-transform:none;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-top:0;
mix-blend-mode:normal;
font-style:normal;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-600 .g-pstyle0 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.04em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(77,77,77);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-600 .g-pstyle1 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:16px;
height:16px;
color:rgb(51,51,51);
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-600 .g-pstyle2 {
font-weight:500;
height:19px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-600 .g-pstyle3 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.04em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(206,70,48);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-600 .g-pstyle4 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-600 .g-pstyle5 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
text-align:right;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-500 {
position:relative;
overflow:hidden;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-500 p {
font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
font-weight:regular;
line-height:19px;
height:auto;
opacity:1;
letter-spacing:0em;
font-size:16px;
text-align:left;
color:rgb(99,99,99);
top:1.3px;
position:static;
text-transform:none;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-top:0;
mix-blend-mode:normal;
font-style:normal;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-500 .g-pstyle0 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.06em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(77,77,77);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-500 .g-pstyle1 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:16px;
height:16px;
color:rgb(51,51,51);
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-500 .g-pstyle2 {
font-weight:500;
height:19px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-500 .g-pstyle3 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.06em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(206,70,48);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-500 .g-pstyle4 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-500 .g-pstyle5 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
text-align:right;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300 {
position:relative;
overflow:hidden;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300 p {
font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
font-weight:regular;
line-height:19px;
height:auto;
opacity:1;
letter-spacing:0em;
font-size:16px;
text-align:left;
color:rgb(99,99,99);
top:1.3px;
position:static;
text-transform:none;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-top:0;
mix-blend-mode:normal;
font-style:normal;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300 .g-pstyle0 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.06em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(77,77,77);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300 .g-pstyle1 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:16px;
height:16px;
color:rgb(51,51,51);
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300 .g-pstyle2 {
font-weight:500;
height:19px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300 .g-pstyle3 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.06em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(206,70,48);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300 .g-pstyle4 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300 .g-pstyle5 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
text-align:right;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300_copy {
position:relative;
overflow:hidden;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300_copy p {
font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
font-weight:regular;
line-height:19px;
height:auto;
opacity:1;
letter-spacing:0em;
font-size:16px;
text-align:left;
color:rgb(99,99,99);
top:1.3px;
position:static;
text-transform:none;
padding-bottom:0;
padding-top:0;
mix-blend-mode:normal;
font-style:normal;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300_copy .g-pstyle0 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.06em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(77,77,77);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300_copy .g-pstyle1 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:16px;
height:16px;
color:rgb(51,51,51);
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300_copy .g-pstyle2 {
font-weight:500;
height:19px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300_copy .g-pstyle3 {
font-weight:700;
line-height:18px;
height:18px;
letter-spacing:0.06em;
font-size:13px;
text-align:center;
color:rgb(206,70,48);
top:1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300_copy .g-pstyle4 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
#g-cli-forest-loss-300_copy .g-pstyle5 {
font-weight:500;
line-height:17px;
height:17px;
font-size:14px;
text-align:right;
top:1.1px;
position:relative;
}
TOTAL
TREE LOSS
All forests
Primary tropical forests
30 million hectares
6 million hectares
20
4
FIRE-RELATED
TREE LOSS
2
2001
2024
2001
2024
TOTAL
TREE LOSS
All forests
Primary tropical forests
30 million hectares
6 million hectares
20
4
FIRE-RELATED
TREE LOSS
2
2001
2024
2001
2024
TOTAL
TREE LOSS
All forests
30 million hectares
20
FIRE-RELATED
TREE LOSS
2001
2024
Primary tropical forests
6 million hectares
4
2
2001
2024
TOTAL
TREE LOSS
All forests
30 million hectares
20
FIRE-RELATED
TREE LOSS
2001
2024
Primary tropical forests
6 million hectares
4
2
2001
2024
TOTAL
TREE LOSS
All forests
30 million hectares
20
FIRE-RELATED
TREE LOSS
2001
2024
Primary tropical forests
6 million hectares
4
2
2001
2024
For the first time since record-keeping began, fires, not agriculture, were the leading cause of rainforest loss, accounting for nearly half of all destruction. Those fires emitted 4.1 gigatons of planet-warming greenhouse gasses, which is more than four times the emissions from air travel in 2023, the researchers said.
Still, land clearing for agriculture, cattle farming and other causes rose by 14 percent, the sharpest increase in almost a decade.