The researchers credit the slowdown to policies implemented by Brazil’s President Lula da Silva to curb deforestation.By AFP and ReutersPublished On 29 Apr 202629 Apr 2026The pace of tropical forest destruction eased last year from a record high but has remained at alarming levels, according to a new study that praises “decisive government action”.The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest in 2025 – down 36 percent from the previous year, researchers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland said on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging – it shows what decisive government action can achieve,” said Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of WRI’s Global Forest Watch platform. “But part of the decline reflects a lull after an extreme fire year.”The researchers also warned that fires prompted by climate change have become a “dangerous new normal”, which threatens to reverse recent gains made by government efforts to tackle deforestation.The warming El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to return in the middle of the year, raising the threat of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires.The researchers, who used satellite data for their report, noted that last year’s forest loss was still significant as it was 46 percent higher than 10 years ago.Despite last year’s progress, global forest loss remains 70 percent above the level required to meet the 2030 goal of halting and reversing forest loss, the researchers said.Much of last year’s slowdown was due to sharp declines in Brazil, home to the world’s largest rainforest.Brazil’s forest loss, excluding fires, was 41 percent lower than in 2024 – its lowest rate on record. Advertise …
