Tropical Forests 2023: Loss & Gains – A Mixed Year

Deforestation rates declined in several countries in 2025, but other forms of forest loss—including fire and degradation—became more visible, according to a new report. Pressures on tropical rainforests continued despite renewed commitments to forest protection and climate diplomacy.

Amazon Rainforest Sees Deforestation Decline

Brazil reported an 11% drop in clear-cut deforestation through July, bringing annual loss to its lowest level in more than a decade. Independent monitoring confirmed this trend, attributing it to federal enforcement, embargos on illegally cleared land, and the renewed use of satellite data.

Despite this success, much of the Amazon remained damaged by the severe drought and fires of 2024. Fires accounted for the majority of primary forest loss in 2024, and emissions from degradation and burning exceeded those from deforestation for the first time on record. While burned areas decreased in 2025, large areas of forest remained fragmented and vulnerable.

Policy decisions added complexity, with Brazil hosting COP30 in Belém and advancing the proposed Tropical Forest Forever Facility. However, tensions resurfaced regarding the soy moratorium, and momentum returned to infrastructure projects like paving sections of the BR-319 highway. Plans to drill for oil near the Amazon River’s mouth also sparked debate.

Diverging Trajectories in the Amazon Basin

Colombia strengthened Indigenous authority over environmental governance and pledged to halt new oil and large-scale mining, even as deforestation rose in areas influenced by armed groups. Peru moved in the opposite direction, advancing measures that weaken protections for Indigenous peoples and reopen protected areas to extraction. Illegal gold mining and land grabbing remained persistent sources of forest loss across the basin.

Congo Basin Faces Intensified Pressures

The Democratic Republic of the Congo experienced record primary forest loss in 2024, with effects extending into 2025. Clearing spread into previously intact provinces, driven by small-scale agriculture, charcoal production, and mining. Fire activity increased in western regions, including areas overlying the Cuvette Centrale peatlands, raising concerns about carbon losses.

Conflict amplified these trends, with the resurgence of the M23 armed group weakening enforcement. Clearing expanded around charcoal routes serving growing cities. Research indicated that the indirect impacts of artisanal mining—settlements, farms, and fuelwood demand—now exceed the forest loss caused directly by mining pits.

Indonesia Shows Improvement, But Vulnerabilities Remain

Indonesia reported forest loss roughly 11% lower than in 2023, continuing a multiyear decline. The country avoided catastrophic fire seasons despite drought, attributed to improved early-warning systems and coordination.

However, hundreds of thousands of hectares burned, much of it on drained peat within industrial concessions, causing widespread smoke. Cyclone Senyar triggered devastating floods and landslides in Sumatra, with scientists noting that deforestation and peatland drainage worsened the storm’s impacts. Investigations documented continued violations within licensed concessions.

Limited Progress in Climate Diplomacy and Markets

COP30 avoided collapse but delivered no binding pathway to halt deforestation. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility attracted initial pledges but fell short of capitalization targets. Forest carbon markets contracted under scrutiny, shifting attention toward jurisdictional programs and public finance mechanisms.

Market signals were uneven, with record-high gold prices boosting wildcat mining and high cocoa prices encouraging expansion in West and Central Africa. Beef exports from Brazil continued to grow, while palm oil prices rose modestly.

By the end of 2025, tropical forests had not entered a new phase of recovery. While deforestation slowed in some areas, loss accelerated or changed form in others, resulting in a series of uneven developments that will shape forest outcomes for years to come.