Deforestation Surges Across Bolivia and Indonesia, Threatening Vital Ecosystems

Photo : AP

Deforestation continued to rise last year, far surpassing global commitments to halt the practice by 2030, according to a new study. Research from over two dozen organizations, NGOs, and advocacy groups revealed that 6.37 million hectares (15.7 million acres) of forests were lost in 2023—an area almost as large as Ireland.

This level of deforestation significantly exceeded what would have been necessary to stay on track with the 2021 pledge by more than 140 global leaders to eliminate deforestation by the end of the decade. Ivan Palmegiani, a biodiversity and land use consultant and lead author of the "Forest Declaration Assessment" report, remarked, "Globally, deforestation has worsened, not improved, since the start of the decade." He warned that only six years remain until the critical global deadline to end deforestation.

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The report highlighted that in 2023, 3.7 million hectares of tropical primary forest were destroyed. These forests are essential for carbon storage and biodiversity. This figure should have significantly decreased to meet the 2030 goal, but instead, forests are being cleared at an alarming rate, driven primarily by agriculture.

Deforestation surged particularly in Bolivia, where the rate jumped by 351 percent between 2015 and 2023. The trend remains largely unchecked, with forests being cleared for agriculture, particularly for soy production, beef, and sugar. Indonesia, after seeing a decline in deforestation from 2020 to 2022, experienced a sharp rise last year. This was partially due to the demand for materials like viscose, used in clothing, and nickel mining for electric vehicle batteries.

Brazil, while still leading in deforestation globally, has seen improvement in protecting the Amazon thanks to new policies. However, deforestation in the Cerrado region, a critical tropical savannah, has increased. The report also noted significant forest degradation, where forests are damaged but not entirely destroyed. In 2022, an area twice the size of Germany was affected by logging, road construction, and wildfires.

Erin Matson, a senior consultant and co-author of the report, stressed the importance of enforcing strong policies to protect forests. "We must make forest protection immune to political and economic changes," she said. 

The report comes as global policymakers face challenges, with the European Commission recently proposing to delay the implementation of its anti-deforestation law until 2025. Matson emphasized the need to rethink consumption and production models to reduce the over-exploitation of natural resources and curb deforestation effectively.