Fires Drove Record-breaking Tropical Forest Loss in 2024
A new analysis of 2024 tree cover loss data, released today on the Global Forest Review, shows record-breaking loss caused by devastating fires.– 2024 had the most tropical primary forest loss since our records began two decades ago — disappearing at a rate of 18 football (soccer) fields per minute, nearly double that of 2023.
– Almost half of this loss was due to fires, around 5 times more than a typical year in the tropics. Latin America was particularly hard hit with major fires across Brazil, Bolivia and numerous other countries.
– Fires also continued to drive tree cover loss outside of the tropics, with high levels of loss once again in Russia and Canada. Overall, the world lost an area of forests nearly the size of Panama.
This data must be a wake-up call for global policies and finance that incentivize keeping forests standing. Read our analysis for more findings from the University of Maryland GLAD Lab’s annual data
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