• 8.1 million hectares of forests were lost in 2024, triple Rwanda’s land area.
• Agriculture drives 86% of deforestation, with mining pressure rising.
• Funding for forest protection remains far below global commitments.

Nearly eleven years after the New York Declaration on Forests, which pledged to end deforestation by 2030, the problem remains acute, according to a new assessment report released on October 14, by a coalition of NGOs, think tanks, and research bodies led by the Dutch consultancy Climate Focus.

The report shows that 8.1 million hectares of forests were lost in 2024—more than three times the size of Rwanda. This is the second-highest level in the past decade, behind the 2016 record of 9.44 million hectares, and far exceeds the annual target of 3.1 million hectares set for last year.

Primary tropical forests suffered the greatest loss, totaling 6.7 million hectares. Globally, 8.8 million hectares of tropical rainforests were degraded in 2024.

Agriculture remains the main driver of deforestation, accounting for an average of 86% over the last decade, though the report notes that other factors such as mining are increasingly contributing to the pressure.

On the financing side, countries that renewed their forest commitments in 2021 through the “Glasgow Declaration” at COP26 are falling short. While international public funding for forests rose to $5.7 billion between 2022 and 2024, up from $1.7 billion in 2018–2020, this still represents only 1.4% of the $409 billion spent annually on environmentally harmful agricultural subsidies.

Estimates suggest between $117 billion and $299 billion per year would be needed to meet 2030 forest goals. As COP30 approaches in Brazil, expectations for stronger commitments are rising, but the report remains cautious.

“This moment in 2025 represents a dangerous confluence: halfway through a critical decade, yet in many countries, climate and environmental ambition appear to be retreating. Exploitative production models, overconsumption, weak governance, and persistent power imbalances fuel ongoing deforestation and degradation.,” the authors warned.