Tropical Forest Loss Slows, but Still ‘11 Football Fields a Minute’

The world lost 4.3 million hectares of tropical primary rainforest in 2025, a 36 percent drop from the record losses in 2024, researchers said Wednesday. But the pace of destruction remains alarming, equivalent to 11 football fields every minute. The data comes from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. Primary rainforest is old-growth forest with dense tree cover, crucial for storing carbon and housing wildlife. Its loss releases large amounts of greenhouse gases. “A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging – it shows what decisive action can achieve,” the researchers said. However, they warned that the destruction is still far too high to meet global climate goals. The 2024 record year saw 6.4 million hectares cleared, driven by fires and agricultural expansion in countries like Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 2025 improvement is a positive step, but experts say continued efforts are needed to protect the world’s remaining forests.