Forest Loss Still High in 2022

Tropical forest loss worsened last year, despite commitments from various companies and governments to curb deforestation. According to data published in the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Review, the tropics lost a total of 4.12 million hectares of primary tropical forest in 2022 - 10 percent more than in 2021.

Primary tropical forests are areas of key importance for carbon storage and biodiversity. According to the forest monitoring platform, the loss of primary tropical forests in 2022 generated 2.7 Gt of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to India's annual emission from fossil fuels.

As the following Statista chart shows, the level of primary forest loss in the tropics peaked in 2016, in comparison to the other years showcased by the source, and has remained high since. Although 2022 actually saw 30,000 fewer hectares in fire-related losses compared to the year before, it saw 400,000 more losses from non-fire related incidents.

Brazil is the country in the world with the largest amount of primary forests, and also the one that records the most losses of this type of biome. Last year, more than 40 percent of the total primary tropical forests loss worldwide occurred there, with non-fire related losses (mostly due to clear-cut deforestation) hitting the highest level the country has seen since 2005. The writers of the report highlight how this trend may improve under the new administration led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula), who has promised to end deforestation in the Amazon and other biomes in Brazil by 2030.