South America has recorded the highest level of forest loss worldwide between 2015 and 2025, according to a new United Nations assessment that warns global efforts to halt deforestation are failing to meet critical 2030 targets. The report highlights that approximately 41 million hectares of forest were lost across the region during the ten-year period, averaging 4.10 million hectares annually, signaling a sustained and large-scale environmental decline.
The findings show that 10 million hectares of this loss involved primary forests, which are considered essential for biodiversity, carbon storage, and climate regulation. These ecosystems are particularly difficult to restore once destroyed, raising concerns about long-term environmental damage and weakened global climate resilience. The United Nations cautioned that even though some reductions in primary forest loss rates have been observed in recent years, the overall trajectory remains deeply concerning.
The report also places South America at the center of a broader global pattern of deforestation, while noting that Africa experienced the second-highest annual forest loss during the same period, at 2.96 million hectares per year. In contrast, Asia, Europe, and Oceania recorded net gains in forest area, adding 1.62 million, 1.43 million, and 140,000 hectares annually, respectively. Despite these regional improvements, the global balance continues to tilt toward net forest decline.
United Nations officials have warned that the world remains far from achieving its goal of halting and reversing deforestation by 2030, as outlined in the UN Strategic Plan for Forests. The report stresses that while reforestation efforts are expanding in some regions, they are not sufficient to offset ongoing destruction or to restore lost biodiversity at the scale required.
Agricultural expansion remains the leading driver of deforestation globally, fueled by growing demand for food production, livestock, commercial farming, and fuelwood. Urban development, infrastructure expansion, and population growth are also intensifying pressure on forest ecosystems, particularly in developing regions where land conversion continues at high rates. The report further warns that climate change is worsening the situation by increasing the frequency of wildfires, droughts, pests, and heatwaves that damage forests even in areas where deforestation has slowed.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described forests as vital natural resources under increasing threat from human and environmental pressures, emphasizing the combined impact of deforestation, rising temperatures, economic instability, and geopolitical tensions. He warned that these stresses are weakening the world’s ability to preserve critical ecosystems that regulate climate and sustain biodiversity.
The report also highlights a significant financing gap in global forest protection efforts. Although international investment in sustainable forest management reached 84 billion US dollars in 2023, the United Nations estimates that around 300 billion US dollars annually is needed to meet 2030 goals. This shortfall is particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries, where economic constraints limit conservation and restoration initiatives.
Despite growing political attention and new restoration commitments from several governments, the overall assessment remains negative. Out of 26 evaluated forest-related targets, only seven are on track, while key objectives such as reversing global forest loss and eliminating extreme poverty among forest-dependent populations remain off course, underscoring the scale of the challenge ahead.
