According to a joint report by the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland, wildfires became the leading cause of tropical forest loss for the first time ever in 2024. The total loss of pristine tropical forests jumped 80% compared to 2023, with 6.7 million hectares (about the size of Panama) lost globally.
Brazil, home to the largest share of the world’s tropical forests and host of the upcoming global climate summit, saw the worst damage — 2.8 million hectares lost due to massive Amazon fires worsened by severe drought and climate change. Other countries hit hard included Bolivia and Canada, where forest fires also broke records.
