Global Deforestation
This section is intended to collect data on the current status of global deforestation. This is accomplished through the utilization of APIs, databases, news sources, MapBuilders, and academic journals.
Global forest loss map
Credits: University of Maryland, department of geographical sciences.
Results from time-series analysis of Landsat images characterizing forest extent and change.
Trees are defined as vegetation taller than 5m in height and are expressed as a percentage per output grid cell as ‘2000 Percent Tree Cover’. ‘Forest Cover Loss’ is defined as a stand-replacement disturbance, or a change from a forest to non-forest state, during the period 2000–2019. ‘Forest Cover Gain’ is defined as the inverse of loss, or a non-forest to forest change entirely within the period 2000–2012. ‘Forest Loss Year’ is a disaggregation of total ‘Forest Loss’ to annual time scales.
Reference 2000 and 2019 imagery are median observations from a set of quality assessment-passed growing season observations.
News List
Despite gains combating deforestation in Brazil's Amazon, forest degradation is a looming threat
The administration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva frequently touts how it has sharply slowed deforestation in the Amazon, and indeed it has. When the next official annual numbers are released in October, the deforestation rate is ex... [7932 chars]
Atlantic forest achieves historic low deforestation in 2025, environmentalists urge vigilance
Brazil’s Atlantic forest, a critical biome renowned for its exceptional biodiversity and vital ecosystem services, recently marked a significant environmental milestone, recording its lowest annual deforestation rate in four decades. This remarkable ... [478 chars]
Brazil’s Atlantic forest records lowest deforestation in 40 years
Brazil’s Atlantic forest, the country’s most threatened biome, last year recorded its lowest level of deforestation since monitoring began 40 years ago, a new report shows.
The forest is Brazil’s most populous biome, and home to 80% of the population... [4058 chars]
Amazon Deforestation at Eight
The number of deforested kilometers in the Brazilian Amazon between August 2025 and March 2026 fell by 36 percent compared to the previous year, according to a recent report published by the Brazilian Human and Environment Amazon Institute, also know... [5984 chars]
Tracing Cocoa Origins: Ivory Coast's Challenge with New EU Law
A recent analysis by Trase highlights the challenges Ivory Coast faces in conforming to the European Union's new anti-deforestation regulation. The study reveals that less than half of the nation's cocoa can be traced back to its source, posing a sig... [802 chars]
Ivory Coast cocoa traceability rates fail to improve as EU anti-deforestation law looms
LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - The amount of Ivory Coast cocoa that can be traced back to where it was grown remains at just under half, calling into question how the world's top cocoa grower will manage to comply with the EU's looming anti-deforestation... [2081 chars]
Ivory Coast's Cocoa Challenge: Tracing Roots to Combat Deforestation
The Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, has less than half of its cocoa exports for 2024 traceable to their origins, raising concerns about meeting the EU's new anti-deforestation standards. The non-profit Trase has highlighted issues with t... [668 chars]
Carbon-capture technology could trigger the deforestation it was designed to prevent
A technology designed to mitigate global warming could, paradoxically, contribute to carbon emissions if hotter temperatures lead to a shift in where bioenergy crops are grown. Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) involves combusting or ... [776 chars]
News API sources: NewsCatcher & GNews