deforestation

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tropical forests and deforestation

Learn how the Brazilian government incentivized forest clearing in the Amazon for beef production and ranching

satellite imagery of deforestation

Borneo deforestation

Deforestation resulting from phosphate mining, Nauru.

deforestation in Australia

For Students

deforestation summary

Read Next

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Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

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A Recent History of Climate Change

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the only eagle solely native to North America. (North American bird)

Endangered Species Day

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The Perils of an Early Spring

A timeline of important 20th- and 21st-century carbon emission/science dates. climate change, infographic. SPOTLIGHT VERSION

Timeline of Climate Change

Discover

Berries and leaves of the bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) plant. Poisonous plant

7 of the World’s Deadliest Plants

Cathedrale St.Jean in Lyon, France has a 14th-century astronomical clock that shows religious feast days till the year 2019; Perpetual Calendar

Ten Days That Vanished: The Switch to the Gregorian Calendar

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12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

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What Is the Emoluments Clause?

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Acts of Union: Uniting the United Kingdom

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deforestation: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Deforestation rate in Brazil dropped in 2024, report says • May 16, 2025, 2:58 AM ET (Taipei Times)

Photos and Videos

tropical forests and deforestation

satellite imagery of deforestation

Borneo deforestation

Deforestation resulting from phosphate mining, Nauru.

deforestation in Australia

Satellite image of Carajás mining area, 1986Deforestation is evident in Brazil's Carajás region in the state of Pará, by comparing images from 1986 and 1992. Cleared land appears bluish green.

Learn how the Brazilian government incentivized forest clearing in the Amazon for beef production and ranching

Learn how deforestation in Central American countries like Belize gives way to erosion and poverty

Why are rainforests so important?

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Topics

climate change endangered species environmental change reforestation habitat loss forest fire conservation temperate forest biodiversity loss ecological footprint sustainability rainforest carbon footprint pollution old-growth forest

Quiz

Chutes d'Ekom - a waterfall on the Nkam river in the rainforest near Melong, in the western highlands of Cameroon in Africa.

Ecosystems

Chutes d'Ekom - a waterfall on the Nkam river in the rainforest near Melong, in the western highlands of Cameroon in Africa.

Ecosystems