Amazon Rainforest Faces Significant Threats from Deforestation and Degradation, Study Reveals
The Amazon rainforest, the world's largest rainforest covering over 1.4 billion acres across nine countries, is experiencing substantial damage. A major scientific synthesis published in 2024 estimates that approximately 15% of the original forest has been cleared. Furthermore, an additional 17% of the remaining forest has been degraded due to logging, edge effects, understory fires, and other human disturbances. This degradation impacts the forest's ability to function as a carbon sink, with parts of southeastern Amazonia now releasing more carbon than they absorb. The Amazon is a critical global climate regulator, storing an estimated 150 to 200 billion metric tons of carbon and influencing rainfall across South America through its moisture recycling. Despite its vast size and unparalleled biodiversity, housing one in ten known species on Earth, the rainforest continues to face increasing pressures from human activities.
