Amazon remains under pressure from illegal land use, criminal networks
Colombia’s environment ministry and IDEAM released the annual deforestation data late Friday, covering the full 2025 calendar year. The 119,483 hectares lost represent an area roughly the size of Los Angeles.
The government had set a target of reducing annual deforestation by at least 20% from a 2021 baseline over the four-year term of President Gustavo Petro. The 2025 figure, while 5% higher than 2024, remained 31% below that baseline, surpassing the goal, officials said.
The slight increase from 2024 comes after Colombia achieved its lowest deforestation levels in years in 2023, a record that has been difficult to maintain, the ministry noted. Illegal land grabbing, cattle ranching and expanding infrastructure continue to put heavy pressure on the Amazon, even as authorities say they are increasingly targeting the criminal networks that profit from clearing the rainforest.