Activists protest in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in October in front of a mural painted with ashes from the fires ravaging the country. The mural, by Brazilian artist Mundano, was unveiled with a demand that agricultural companies stop deforestation in the Amazon. File photo by Isaac Fontana/EPA
The Amazon rainforest — considered one of the world’s most important climate regulators — continues to face serious threats in 2025.
New data show that pressure on the ecosystem has intensified in Brazil and Peru during the first half of the year, while Colombia reports progress in curbing deforestation.
In Brazil, the National Institute for Space Research reported that 807 square miles of forest were lost between January and June — a 27% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The spike was especially pronounced between April and June, coinciding with the dry season and a rise in illegal activities, such as large-scale cattle ranching. In May, the deforested area increased by a record 51% compared to the same month last year.
“The loss of forest in May 2025 was largely due to wildfires. … We are beginning to see a shift that confirms the warnings … that the rainforest is being severely impacted by climate change,” said João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
The trend threatens to reverse the gains made in 2023 and 2024, when deforestation fell to its lowest level in nearly a decade, driven by stronger enforcement and improved monitoring.
In Peru, while official figures for the first half of 2025 have not yet been released, the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project warns of ongoing primary forest loss in regions such as Ucayali and Madre de Dios, where illegal mining and wildfires have caused significant damage.
Peru lost more than 140,000 hectares, or 346,000 acres, of forest in 2024, and active hot spots detected in early 2025 suggest the trend is continuing.
According to the country’s Ministry of Environment, deforestation in the first quarter of the year totaled 27,000 hectares, or about 67,000 acres — a 33% decrease compared to the same period in 2024. The drop was even more pronounced in Amazonian national parks, where forest clearing fell by 54%.
The reduction was driven by a government-led multisector strategy that combined satellite monitoring, community agreements and joint operations that involve the military, environmental agencies and prosecutors.
However, a separate report by the Office of the Inspector General warned that forest clearing continues in remote areas, with more than 88,000 hectares, or 217,000 acres, affected between October 2024 and March.
The upcoming COP30 summit, scheduled for November 2025 in Belém do Pará, Brazil, could be critical for setting commitments and securing concrete funding to protect the Amazon, which is essential for maintaining climate stability, not only for South America, but for the entire planet.
