In 2022, global deforestation reached 16.3 million acres, with primary tropical forest loss at 10.1 million acres. An alarming 96% of this takes place in tropical regions. Tropical Asia is the only region close to achieving zero deforestation. Without urgent action, tropical forests will begin to act as a carbon source, not a sink, under the pressures of a warming, drying, and increasingly extreme climate. Widespread and increasing deforestation and degradation in the planet’s three largest tropical forest basins—the Amazon, Congo, and the forests of Asia-Pacific—could deliver a global climate catastrophe.
Fortunately, there’s still time to halt deforestation and sustainably manage and restore forests in ways that benefit people and nature.
“If we’re serious about ensuring a future for forests—and halting the biodiversity and climate crises—time is of the essence,” said Kerry Cesareo, senior vice president for forests at WWF. “While the numbers are stark, we know what we need to do. And the Forest Pathways report provides tangible guidance for decision-makers, from governments to financial institutions to private sector actors.”
Globally, at least 100 times more public funding goes to environmentally harmful subsidies than financing to help forests. Only $2.2 billion in public funds is channeled to forests each year—a mere fraction compared to other global investments. Indigenous peoples and local communities do not receive the necessary resources to secure their rights and effectively manage their lands, even though tropical forests under their stewardship are better protected and deforestation and degradation are lower.
