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"Global forests are still in crisis" is not the headline we wanted to report this year.
Deforestation and degradation rates remained stubbornly high in 2024, pushing the world even further off track from the shared goal of halting and reversing forest loss by 2030. While some countries are demonstrating that progress is possible, the global trend remains one of stagnation, not transformation.
The Forest Declaration Assessment 2025 finds that:
- 8.1 million hectares of forest were lost in 2024, a level of destruction 63% higher than the trajectory needed to halt deforestation by 2030.
- Loss of humid primary tropical forests—the irreplaceable stores of carbon and biodiversity—spiked In 2024, largely due to climate change-induced increase of forest fires.
- Forest degradation affected 8.8 million hectares affected in 2024—eroding ecosystem integrity and climate resilience.
- Restoration efforts are expanding, with at least 10.6 million hectares hosting forest restoration projects worldwide. But global data remain too fragmented to determine whether the world is recovering forests at the scale required.
- Financial flows are still grossly misaligned with forest goals, with harmful subsidies outweighing green subsidies by over 200:1. Despite new pledges, the flow of funds to forest countries and local actors remains far below what’s necessary to deliver on 2030 goals.
- Delivery on corporate and financial sector commitments is lagging, and transparency remains inconsistent.
At the halfway point to 2030, the world should be seeing a steep decline in deforestation. Instead, the global deforestation curve has not begun to bend.
About the Forest Declaration Assessment 2025
The Forest Declaration Assessment tracks collective progress toward the 2030 forest goals—covering deforestation, degradation, restoration, biodiversity, finance, rights, and governance.
This year’s report provides a consolidated view of where progress is happening, where it is stalling, and what must change in the next five years to achieve the global goal of halting and reversing forest loss.
Want to dive further into the data? Vision the Forest Declaration Dashboard.
For more on the priority actions across policy and finance that can help close the gap between ambition and delivery, see the 2030 Global Forest Vision.
"Global forests are still in crisis" is not the headline we wanted to report this year.
