Overview

• Tropical primary forests lost 6.7 million hectares in 2024, the largest annual loss since data collection began in 2002.
• Fires, intensified by climate change and El Niño, accounted for nearly half of the destruction, overtaking agriculture as the top driver.
• The forest loss released an estimated 3.1 billion tonnes of CO2, exceeding India’s annual energy-related emissions.
• Brazil experienced the highest losses with 2.8 million hectares destroyed, two-thirds due to fires often set for agricultural expansion.
• Bolivia saw a threefold increase in forest destruction, primarily from fires clearing land for industrial farming.