Erick Burgueño Salas
Research expert covering climate change and the water industry
Amazon rainforest in Brazil – statistics & facts
The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest. Commonly referred to as the lungs of our planet, this rainforest harbors the most diverse ecosystem in the world. Spanning across nine South American countries, the magnitude of such natural haven extends over 844 million hectares of land, of which over 60 percent are located in Brazil. Despite its ecological and economic importance, however, the Brazilian Amazon rainforest has suffered severe degradation in the past century, threatened by wildfires, deforestation, and an expanding agribusiness.
Agriculture and farming are among the main hazards for the survival of the rainforest. In fact, the area cultivated with crops in the Legal Amazon has nearly tripled between 2000 and 2020. Wildfires − which partially derive from natural causes and partially for the expansion of cultivation areas − have also become a main cause of damage suffered by the Amazon ecosystem in recent years. In 2022, over 145 thousand wildfires outbreaks were detected in the Legal Amazon alone. The Amazon biome accounted for the majority of outbreaks in Brazil, representing more than 57 percent of the wildfires identified throughout the national territory. Illegal logging, a reduced government budget for regulatory agencies, and relaxed enforcement of environment protection legislation are also factors commonly highlighted as aggravators of the Amazon forest's degradation.
A vanishing rainforest
The Legal Amazon area is a political region created in 1953 to protect the Amazon's natural resources as well as promote economic development, and comprises the territory of nine Brazilian states. Nevertheless, since the beginning of the century, the Brazilian Amazon’s deforested area has added up to an accumulated 280 thousand square kilometers, an area roughly the size of Ecuador. In 2022 alone, more than 11 thousand square kilometers were affected, the second-highest figure recorded since 2009. Approximately 16 percent of the Legal Amazon’s soil coverage corresponded to deforested areas.Agriculture and farming are among the main hazards for the survival of the rainforest. In fact, the area cultivated with crops in the Legal Amazon has nearly tripled between 2000 and 2020. Wildfires − which partially derive from natural causes and partially for the expansion of cultivation areas − have also become a main cause of damage suffered by the Amazon ecosystem in recent years. In 2022, over 145 thousand wildfires outbreaks were detected in the Legal Amazon alone. The Amazon biome accounted for the majority of outbreaks in Brazil, representing more than 57 percent of the wildfires identified throughout the national territory. Illegal logging, a reduced government budget for regulatory agencies, and relaxed enforcement of environment protection legislation are also factors commonly highlighted as aggravators of the Amazon forest's degradation.
How does the Amazon’s degradation impact climate change?
The Amazon rainforest has long been regarded a vital resource in the mitigation of global climate change, with its extensive tree cover historically acting as a net carbon sink. However, at the current rate of degradation, this balance may be closer than ever to a tipping point. Annual greenhouse gas emissions from the Legal Amazon have continually increased in the past decade, averaging above one billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent since 2019. Changes in land cover −for example due to deforestation and wildfires − were by far the main source of emissions in the area. With the Amazon’s carbon emissions approaching its removal capacity, the rainforest’s days as the world’s lungs may be numbered.
