Total alerts fell, but the average area destroyed rose; Data are from the 2 main biome monitoring systems
Report released on Monday (12.MAI.2025) shows that the total of hectares deforested in the Atlantic Forest in 2024 was 71,709, a 14% drop in comparison with the previous year, when 82,531 hectares were. The data is from.
The survey was conducted by the 2 main Atlantic Forest monitoring systems: Atlas da Mata Atlântica, coordinated by the Foundation in partnership with Inpe (National Institute for Space Research), and the SAD (Deforestation Alerts System) Atlantic Forest, developed together with the network.
According to Atlas, which accompanies fragments with more than 3 hectares in mature areas, vegetation loss fell from 14,697 hectares by 2023 to 14,366 hectares by 2024, a reduction of only 2%. Such deforestation represents the emission of about 6.87 million tons of CO₂ equivalent, comparable to the annual emissions of Cameroon or the Federal District.
The SAD, which detects smaller deforestation and sees areas in regeneration, recorded a 14%drop. Between mature and younger forests, 71.109 hectares were deforested in 2024 compared to 82,531 hectares of the previous year.
The total of alerts fell from 7,396 to 5,693, but the average area destroyed rose from 11.2 to 12.5 hectares, indicating larger and more concentrated deforestation.
The executive director of SOS Mata Atlântica, Luís Fernando Guedes Pinto, said that the drop recorded in the data is small in relation to the necessary. Losses remain high, especially in historically critical areas, and advance on mature forests, which are irreplaceable in biodiversity and climate regulation.
“In other words, deforestation still represents a great threat to the future of the Atlantic Forest. And this is also the future of all of us, as the biome houses about 70% of the Brazilian population and sustains more than 80% of national GDP. In the context of global climate and biodiversity crises, environmental tragedies and recurring water crises in Brazil, the degradation of the Atlantic Forest increases the risk of collapse. of ecosystem services essential to our quality of life, food safety and the country’s economy ”said Luis Fernando.
Alert States
The report points out that Piauí and Bahia lead the state deforestation ranking, with, respectively, 26,030 and 23,218 hectares deforested by SAD.
In Bahia, although the total has fallen 37% over the previous year, the destruction of mature forests almost doubled from 2,456 to 4,717 hectares (92% increase). In Piauí the opposite took place: the total deforested area grew 44%, reaching 26,030 hectares, while the suppression of mature forests decreased.
In Rio Grande do Sul the data reveal a leap caused mainly by the landslides due to the rains of April and May 2024. The events classified as “Natural disasters” responded for most of the 3,307 hectares deforested in the year.
Extreme climate events also impacted protected areas in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, highlighting the vulnerability of conservation units in the face of climate change.
