Brazil’s Amazon has lost forest area cover equivalent to the size of Spain over the past four decades, raising concerns among scientists regarding the region nearing an irreversible tipping point.
Monitoring data released Monday by MapBiomas revealed that between 1985 and 2024, the rainforest shrank by 49.1 million hectares, or approximately 121 million acres.
When accounting for all types of native vegetation, the Amazon has lost 13% of its original plant life during that time. Researchers warn that continued deforestation could push the forest past a threshold where it can no longer sustain its ecosystems.
Tipping point and climate impact
Bruno Ferreira, a researcher with MapBiomas, stated that the Amazon is approaching a stage where losing 20% to 25% of its vegetation could cause it to cease functioning as a rainforest. He explained that such loss disrupts the rainfall cycle and increases the risk of the forest converting into dry savanna.
🇧🇷 THE AMAZON RAINFOREST SHRINKS TO SIZE OF SPAIN, NEARING TOTAL COLLAPSE
Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has lost an area as large as Spain over four decades, with scientists warning it is close to a point of no
At 20–25% vegetation loss, rainfall cycles break down and vast… pic.twitter.com/aduDYX6IuG
— Alexkennedy (@Alexkennedy310) September 16, 2025
Brazil holds around 60% of the Amazon, which spans nine countries. The nation is set to host the United Nations COP30 climate summit in November in the Amazonian city of Belem.
The study also highlighted a fivefold increase in livestock farming since 1985, which remains a key driver of deforestation. Although forest loss had slowed following President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s return to office in 2023, recent events reversed that trend.
A historic drought from August 2024 to July 2025 fueled widespread wildfires, resulting in a 4% rise in deforestation during that period.
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