Deforestation: causes, consequences and how to fight it
At a glance
- Deforestation wipes out an average of 10.9 million hectares of forest worldwide every year (FAO, 2015-2025), an area the size of Iceland each year.
- Nearly 90% of global deforestation is linked to agricultural expansion: livestock, soya, palm oil and cocoa.
- Its consequences reach the climate, biodiversity, water and the people who make their living from the forest.
- The solutions combine forest protection, responsible consumption, agroforestry and community-led reforestation.
- Everyone can play a part, by changing some of what they buy and by supporting projects on the ground.
Every minute, the planet loses an area of forest equivalent to around twenty football pitches. The pace has slowed since the 1990s, but it is still staggering: according to the FAO, 10.9 million hectares are still lost every year.
Yet deforestation is not just about chainsaws in the Amazon. It also plays out on our plates, in our cupboards and in our fuel tanks, thousands of kilometres from the forests affected.
Understanding its causes and consequences shows where the real levers lie, including for each of us as individuals.
What is deforestation?
Deforestation is the permanent loss of a forest to another land use: fields, pasture, plantations, mines, roads or towns. It is not the same as logging followed by regrowth, which does not erase the forest.
The planet today has around 4.14 billion hectares of forest, nearly a third of its land area. Between 2015 and 2025, net loss stood at 4.12 million hectares a year, once areas where forest is growing back are taken into account.
Where is deforestation worst?
Three major regions account for most of the losses: the Amazon, the Congo Basin and South-East Asia. Africa is the continent with the highest net loss over the last measured decade, at 3.9 million hectares a year between 2010 and 2020.
In 2024, the Democratic Republic of the Congo lost nearly 590,000 hectares of primary forest, a record for the country.
What causes deforestation?
Agriculture, the main culprit
Nearly 90% of global deforestation is linked to agricultural expansion. Cattle ranching, particularly in South America, comes first. Next come the large export crops: soya for animal feed, palm oil, cocoa, coffee and rubber.
Some of this produce ends up in Europe. This is known as imported deforestation: forests are cleared over there for products consumed here.
Firewood and charcoal
In sub-Saharan Africa, many households still cook with wood or charcoal. Around towns and cities, this demand creates rings of cleared land that spread further year after year.
Mines, roads and towns
Mining, often illegal, and new roads break up forest areas and open the way for further clearing.
Wildfires and climate change
Longer droughts and heatwaves are fuelling more wildfires, which destroy millions of hectares every year. Climate change, made worse by deforestation, is itself becoming one of its causes.
Key point
Deforestation is not primarily a logging problem. It is a land-use problem: as long as turning a forest into a field pays more than keeping it, the forest will keep shrinking.
What are the consequences of deforestation?
On the climate
A destroyed forest releases the carbon it was storing. According to the IPCC, agriculture, forestry and other land uses account for around 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation is one of the main components.
On biodiversity
Forests are home to around 80% of land-based biodiversity. Their loss endangers thousands of species, from great apes to pollinating insects.
On water and soil
Without trees, rainwater runs off, soils erode and groundwater struggles to recharge. Deforested regions suffer more floods and more droughts alike.
On people
More than a billion people depend directly on forests for food, heating or their livelihood. For them, deforestation means lost income, food insecurity and sometimes being forced to leave home.
A vicious circle
Fewer forests mean more warming. More warming means more droughts and wildfires. And more wildfires mean even fewer forests. Breaking this circle means tackling the causes, not just replanting.
How can we fight deforestation?
There is no single solution. Effective approaches work together, and our article on 8 ways to take action against deforestation explains each one in turn.
Protecting existing forests
This is the most effective measure: a preserved old-growth forest holds far more carbon and biodiversity than a young plantation. Protected areas, land rights for local communities and satellite monitoring have all contributed to the slowdown seen over the past ten years.
Regulating imported deforestation
The European Union has adopted a regulation aimed at banning products from deforested land from its market: timber, soya, beef, palm oil, cocoa, coffee and rubber. Its implementation has been postponed several times, but it sets a clear direction for businesses.
Changing farming practices
Agroforestry, which combines trees and crops on the same plot, makes it possible to farm without clearing forest. It holds soils in place, improves long-term yields and diversifies income. To understand the principles, see agroforestry in 4 key questions.
More broadly, sustainable agriculture in Africa eases the pressure on forests while strengthening food security.
Restoring and replanting with communities
Reforestation makes sense when the trees survive and benefit local people. Successful reforestation projects in Africa rely on local species and on families who earn an income from the trees.
What can you do about deforestation?
A few simple steps genuinely reduce your share of imported deforestation.
| Action | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Eat less imported beef | Livestock farming is the leading cause of deforestation worldwide |
| Choose certified cocoa, coffee and palm oil | Reliable labels exclude recently deforested plots |
| Opt for certified wood and paper | FSC and PEFC labels guarantee sustainable management |
| Cut down on waste | Every product thrown away may have cost some forest |
| Support projects on the ground | Local communities are the best guardians of forests |
This last lever is where LIFE works. Through its Sapousse programme, launched in 2016, the NGO has planted more than 250,000 economic trees in eight countries, including Senegal, Mali, Madagascar and Indonesia. The fruit and cash-crop trees are entrusted to families, who look after them because the trees provide their living. More than 14,000 people have been supported, with training in sustainable agriculture and responsible market gardening.
The key figures on LIFE's work set out the results achieved country by country.
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Plant trees with LIFE →Frequently asked questions
What is the main cause of deforestation?
Agricultural expansion, which accounts for nearly 90% of global deforestation. Cattle ranching comes first, followed by soya, palm oil, cocoa and coffee.
How many hectares of forest are lost every year?
According to the FAO's FRA 2025 report, deforestation averaged 10.9 million hectares a year over the 2015-2025 period. Taking regrowing forests into account, net loss is 4.12 million hectares a year.
What are the consequences of deforestation for people?
It deprives more than a billion people of resources they depend on, worsens droughts and floods, depletes farmland soils and encourages the emergence of diseases linked to increased contact with wildlife.
Is planting trees enough to stop deforestation?
No. Replanting is useful, but protecting existing forests remains the priority, because an old-growth forest holds far more carbon and biodiversity than a young plantation. The two approaches complement each other.
Which countries are hit hardest by deforestation?
Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bolivia and Indonesia are among the countries losing the most primary forest. Africa is the continent with the highest net forest loss.
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