World Lost More Than 7 Million Hectares of Forest in 2025 By Umar Manzoor Shah Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

World Lost More Than 7 Million Hectares of Forest in 2025 By Umar Manzoor Shah https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/10/world-lost-more-than-7-million-hectares-of-forest-in-2025/ BERLIN, Germany/WASHINGTON, D.C., USA , Oct 14 2026 (IPS) - The world lost more than 7 million hectares of forest to deforestation in 2025, a modest improvement on recent years but still far from what is needed to meet global forest protection targets by 2030, according to a new assessment of international conservation efforts. The Forest Declaration Assessment 2026, prepared by a coalition of civil society organisations and researchers and released worldwide on October 14, says deforestation remains stubbornly high despite international commitments to halt and reverse forest loss. The average annual area cleared since 2021 has exceeded 8 million hectares, highlighting the gap between government promises and progress on the ground. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -