MAAP #187: Deforestation and Fire Hotspots in the Amazon (2022)

June 28, 2023

MAAP #187 gives a detailed look at some of the major 2022 Amazon forest loss hotspots. These hot spots appear present across all 9 countries of the Amazon, and for the first time, we are able to distinguish data between deforestation from fires and deforestation from natural loss. A majority of this loss is present in Brazil (72.8%), followed by Bolivia (12.4%), Peru (7.3%), and Colombia (4.9%)

This report presents both deforestation and fire hotspots across the Amazon. From these findings, the estimated deforestation of 1.98 million hectares (4.89 million acres) in 2022 represents a 21% increase from 2021 and has become the second highest on record since 2004. These deforestation hotspots were mainly concentrated along roads in the Brazilian Amazon, the soy frontier in the southeast Bolivian Amazon, and near protected areas in the northwest Colombian Amazon.

Additionally, 491,223 hectares (1.2 million acres) of primary forest were lost from fires, causing a 1.6% increase from 2021, and has placed as the 4th highest on record. About 93% of these fires impacted Brazil and Bolivia.

In total, 2.47 million hectares (6.1 million acres) of primary forest have been impacted by deforestation and fires. It is estimated that 30.7 million hectares (75.9 acres) of these forests have been lost, which is greater than the size of Italy, or the U.S. state of Arizona.

Read the full report here.