Study Finds Amazon Lost Land Equal to Spain in 40 Years

Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, often called the “lungs of the Earth,” has shrunk by an area equivalent to Spain in just four decades, sparking dire warnings from scientists.

According to new data from the monitoring platform MapBiomas, the Amazon has lost 49.1 million hectares (121 million acres) of rainforest between 1985 and 2024 — about 13% of its native vegetation.

Researchers warn the forest is approaching a “point of no return,” when 20–25% vegetation loss would permanently disrupt rainfall cycles and transform vast areas into dry savannas.

Much of the destruction has been driven by livestock farming, which has increased nearly fivefold, alongside wildfires worsened by historic drought.

While President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government slowed deforestation after his 2023 return to office, recent climate shocks have reversed progress, with deforestation rising 4% between August 2024 and July 2025.

The findings add urgency as Brazil prepares to host the UN COP30 climate conference in Belem, deep in the Amazon, this November.