Deforestation: Facts about the widespread destruction of Earth's forests

ByPatrick Pesterlast updated10 January 2025

Everything you need to know about deforestation, including the damage clearing trees does to people, wildlife and the climate.

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deforestaion, with land cleared in the left of the image and forest in the right. — Deforestation in Jamanxim National Forest, Para, Brazil, seen in this aerial image from 2020.(Image credit: Paralaxis/Getty Images)

Humans are destroying forests all over the world in a process called deforestation. Forests are cleared to make space for agriculture, and so humans can use the wood to make paper and other products. Deforestation is a very destructive process that threatens the health of our planet and its inhabitants.

Forests cover almost one-third of the planet's land, according to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). Countless plants, animals, fungi and microbes live in forests, so when these forests are destroyed, the wildlife can't survive. The same is true for many human communities living in forests, particularly Indigenous people.

What is deforestation?

Deforestation is the clearing of forests. Most deforestation takes place in the tropics, where beef farming is by far the biggest reason forests are cleared, according toWWF. People destroy trees in these regions so the land can be used to raise cattle to eat. The second biggest driver of deforestation is the demand for soybean, which is a crop grown to feed farm animals and to make biofuels, according toOur World In Data.

Forests are also cleared to make space forpalm oil plantations, particularly in Indonesia. Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that's found inhalf of all supermarket products. Behind palm oil, the fourth biggest driver of deforestation is the demand for paper and other products made from wood.

When did deforestation start?

Humans have been clearing trees for thousands of years, even before we started farming around 10,000 years ago, according to the bookBiological and Environmental Hazards, Risks, and Disasters (Elsevier, 2023). However, deforestation has gotten worse over time. About half of the total deforestation caused by humans happened between 8,000 B.C. and 1900, while the other half has happened since 1900.

Global forest loss has slowed down a bit since the 1980s, when the rate of deforestation peaked, according toOur World In Data. However, deforestation is still very high across the world. There are also other factors affecting the health of our forests. For example, Australian rainforests have beendying much faster since the 1980s, with trees living about half as long, likely because ofclimate change.

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What are the impacts of deforestation?

trees burned with fires still alight and an orange sky — Trees are cleared to make space for agricultural land.(Image credit: Brasil2/Getty Images)

Deforestation is a major threat to humans, wildlife and the planet. Forests support most of the wildlife that lives on land, as well as human communities around the world, particularly Indigenous people and communities living in forests — an estimated780 million people live within 0.6 miles (1 km) of a forest. Forests provide shelter, food, water, medicine, work and fuel to these communities, so deforestation is a major threat to their existence.

Deforestation can also directly influence the weather. For example, removing trees in tropical regions can reduce rainfall because it changes the way water vapor forms over the forest canopy. Healthy forests help minimize extreme weather by regulating rainfall and stabilizing local climates, according to the United Nations' 2024State of the World's Forests report. Researchers have found that in North America, Europe and Asia, deforestation leads to more intense heatwaves, according to MIT'sClimate Portal.

Does deforestation contribute to global warming?

Deforestation contributes toglobal warming in a variety of different ways. Global warming, or climate change, is caused by humans releasinggreenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Forests naturally pull billions of tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, so when we remove them, we lose one of the ways Earth captures and stores that greenhouse gas. Destroying trees also releases the carbon dioxide they've stored back into the atmosphere.

Deforestation in the Amazon

Huge area of land cleared for an industrial site in the Amazon — Huge industrial area shows the scale of deforestation in the Amazon. Humans have cleared around 386,000 square miles of forest in the Amazon since 1978.(Image credit: luoman/Getty Images)

South America'sAmazon rainforest is the largest forest in the world, but it's under threat from deforestation. Humans have removed about 386,000 square miles (1 million square km) of theAmazon rainforest since 1978, as the amount of tree cover hasdeclined by at least 17% over the last 50 years.

One of the biggest drivers ofdeforestation in the Amazon is industrial farming. Setting fire to the forest is one of the main ways humans get rid of trees. Burning trees also makes the forest hotter and drier, which makes itmore flammable, so additional fires do more damage.

How to stop deforestation

Deforestation is a global problem that will require a variety of different solutions, such as better monitoring of industries destroying forests and encouraging sustainable farming practices. According to the 2024 State of the World's Forests report, innovation is required to scale up forest conservation. The report pointed to new technologies for gathering data on forests and developing locally led solutions with underrepresented groups such as women, young people and Indigenous peoples.

Deforestation photos

aerial image showing land cleared and logs with the rainforest in the background. — Logging in Thailand still takes place despite a ban put in place in 1989.(Image credit: richcarey/Getty Images)

Large rectangular areas of land cleared of rainforest, with the amazon rainforest surrounding it — Around 17% of the Amazon has been lost over the last 50 years.(Image credit: Phototreat/Getty Images)

aerial image showing tractors in an empty field with a fire burning and rainforest to the right. — In Thailand, trees are often removed to make space for palm oil and rubber plantations.(Image credit: WhitcombeRD/Getty Images)

aerial view of an industrial area surrounded by rainforest — A bauxite mine in the Amazon, with forest cleared for the recovery of aluminium.(Image credit: apomares/Getty Images)

Farming equipment being used to create a log pile from felled trees — The fourth biggest driver of deforestation is the demand for paper and other products made from wood(Image credit: juuce/Getty Images)

aerial image showing land cleared for trees and plantations with rainforest in the background — AN oil palm plantation in Southeast Asia, where trees are cleared to make way for agriculture.(Image credit: richcarey/Getty Images)

cows lined up in a field with trees in the background — Deforestation also takes place to make space for cattle to graze.(Image credit: Lucas Ninno/Getty Images)

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Patrick Pester

Trending News Writer

Patrick Pester is the trending news writer at Live Science. His work has appeared on other science websites, such as BBC Science Focus and Scientific American. Patrick retrained as a journalist after spending his early career working in zoos and wildlife conservation. He was awarded the Master's Excellence Scholarship to study at Cardiff University where he completed a master's degree in international journalism. He also has a second master's degree in biodiversity, evolution and conservation in action from Middlesex University London. When he isn't writing news, Patrick investigates the sale of human remains.