Bolivia lost 1.5 million acres of primary forest in 2025, making it the world’s second-largest source of primary forest loss after Brazil. [1]
Cattle ranching drove most of the clearing. Land-use laws that require land to be put to “productive” use have helped push forest conversion, and economic incentives have reinforced the pattern. [1]
The loss has hit major ecosystems, including the Amazon rainforest and the Chiquitano dry forests. [1]
Mennonite settlers, a white religious sect, have been a notable contributor to recent deforestation as they clear land for cattle. [1]
The destruction has climate costs as well. Once forests are cut, much of the carbon stored in trees quickly returns to the atmosphere, adding to warming. [1]
Climate change is also making the problem harder to control. Rising drought has worsened fires set to clear land, and those fires have spread into larger uncontrolled forest loss. [1]
The 2025 loss is the latest concrete figure in the record, with cattle expansion still the central driver of clearing across Bolivia’s forests. [1]
