Brazil's Amazon Rainforest Lost Area The Size Of Spain In 40 Years: Study
The Amazon was approaching a "point of no return" of 20 to 25 percent vegetation loss at which it "ceases to sustain itself as a rainforest," said Bruno Ferreira, a researcher at the MapBiomas monitoring platform.
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Brazil contains approximately 60 percent of the vast Amazon rainforest, which extends across nine countries.
Brazil:
According to monitoring data released Monday, Brazil's Amazon rainforest has diminished by an area comparable to Spain over the past four decades, pushing it dangerously close to a critical threshold.
The Amazon is approaching a "point of no return" with 20 to 25 percent vegetation loss, at which point it "will no longer be able to sustain itself as a rainforest," explained Bruno Ferreira, a scientist with the MapBiomas monitoring initiative.
"When excessive vegetation is lost, the rainfall cycle becomes disrupted, and substantial areas tend to transform into more arid savannas."
Brazil, which is scheduled to host the UN COP30 climate summit in the Amazonian city of Belem this November, encompasses the majority of the rainforest that stretches across nine different nations.
Satellite imagery analyzed by MapBiomas revealed the disappearance of 49.1 million hectares (121 million acres) of rainforest between 1985 and 2024.
When including other vegetation types, the Amazon has experienced a 13 percent reduction of its native plant life during this period, according to the data.
MapBiomas reported that livestock farming in the region has expanded almost fivefold during the studied timeframe.
Deforestation rates decreased after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva resumed office in 2023.
Nevertheless, an unprecedented drought intensified forest fires in the area, resulting in a four-percent rise in deforestation between August 2024 and July 2025.
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