Forests in Freefall
In 2025, the world’s forests are unraveling at an alarming pace, with deforestation rates reaching unprecedented levels. Despite global commitments to halt forest loss by 2030, the reality on the ground tells a different story. From the Amazon to Southeast Asia, forests are being cleared at an unsustainable rate, driven by agricultural expansion, logging, and infrastructure development. This rampant deforestation not only threatens biodiversity but also exacerbates climate change, disrupts water cycles, and undermines the livelihoods of millions.
In Indonesia, the government is undertaking the world’s largest deforestation project to develop sugarcane-based bioethanol and food crops, impacting forests the size of Belgium. The initiative, backed by the government and expanded under President Prabowo Subianto, aims to bolster food and energy self-sufficiency through food estates, particularly in Papua and Kalimantan. These estates span over 4.3 million hectares and threaten critical biodiversity and Indigenous communities who depend on the land for survival. Environmental groups warn that the project could cause irreparable damage to ecosystems and displace local populations. Preliminary government assessments estimate 315 million tons of CO₂ emissions from land clearing, with independent studies suggesting even higher figures. Although the government plans to reforest 6.5 million hectares of degraded land, experts argue that reforestation cannot replicate the ecological value of old-growth forests. Critics highlight not only the environmental destruction but also the social costs to Indigenous peoples as forests are converted into monoculture plantations. Despite international and local concern, key project stakeholders have not responded to the criticism.
In South America, the Gran Chaco—a vast forest spanning Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and Bolivia—is being rapidly destroyed by agriculture and logging industries. Between 1998 and 2023, Argentina lost 7 million hectares of native forest, 80% of it in Gran Chaco, with destruction accelerating in 2024. Logging companies often begin by harvesting valuable trees, followed by clear-cutting and burning entire areas. Despite Argentina’s Forest Law of 2007 and a 2019 court ruling banning deforestation in Chaco province, enforcement remains weak, allowing illegal logging to persist with impunity. Environmentalists warn of the extinction threat to various species and the broader impact on climate change through carbon release and altered weather patterns. Indigenous communities suffer deeply—facing land loss, cultural erosion, and violence when resisting deforestation. Environmental advocates argue that economic development claims ring hollow, as Chaco remains one of Argentina’s poorest regions despite extensive logging.
The consequences of deforestation are profound and far-reaching. Forests are home to 80% of all known amphibian species, which could face extinction due to forest degradation. According to the report produced by the FAO and UNEP, with technical input from the JRC, global forest area decreased from 32.5% to 30.8%, and some 420 million hectares of forest have been lost to agriculture and other land uses since 1990. This continued degradation of forests threatens biodiversity and the survival of many species, and exacerbates global warming.
In response to these challenges, global initiatives are being launched to halt deforestation and promote sustainable land-use practices. The Global Forest Vision 2025 outlines urgent actions to protect forests, stop deforestation-linked trade, and strengthen biodiversity protection. The report emphasizes the need for governments to strengthen trade agreements and regulations to stop deforestation-linked products from entering global markets. It also highlights the importance of recognizing the role of Indigenous and local communities in forest protection and ensuring adequate funding for forest conservation efforts.
However, progress remains slow, and the urgency of the situation cannot be overstated. In 2024, global deforestation persisted despite needing a 10% annual reduction each year from 2020-2030 to reach zero deforestation by 2030, or a 20% reduction each year from 2025. The global deforestation rate in 2024 was 2% lower than the baseline from 2018-2020, but 63% higher than the rate needed to achieve zero-deforestation by 2023. We have made almost no progress in the four years since the baseline rate and are thus off track to meet this target.
The path forward requires immediate and coordinated action at all levels—local, national, and global. Governments must enforce existing environmental laws, close loopholes in trade agreements, and prioritize the rights and knowledge of Indigenous communities. Consumers can play a role by supporting sustainable products and advocating for policies that protect forests. The time to act is now; the fate of our forests—and the countless species, including our own—depends on the choices we make today.
Written by Arjun Aitipamula
Sources:
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/forests/global-deforestation-rates-surge-shows-forest-declaration-assessment-2024
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/forests/global-forest-vision-2025-outlines-urgent-actions-to-protect-forests-stop-deforestation-linked-trade
https://www.peer.eu/about-peer/peer-for-policymakers/news-for-policymakers/deforestation-and-forest-degradation-a-major-threat-to-global-biodiversity
https://gfr.wri.org/node/126
https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/tropical-forest-loss-puts-2030-zero-deforestation-target-further-out-of-reach/amp/
