Fires destroy rainforests

Human-created fires are a brutal deforestation tool. They are started intentionally to clear large swaths of tropical forest and convert them for agriculture, cattle pastures, or fruit and oil palm plantations.

This “slash-and-burn” technique often results in fires that rage beyond the intended boundaries.

Hotter, drier weather is raising the chances that these fires burn out of control. In 2024, for the first time in decades, wildfires caused more tropical forest loss than agriculture. Wildfires in the tropics can last for weeks, with devastating consequences:

• • Displacement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
  • Destruction of wildlife habitats and biodiversity.
  • Release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
  • Removal of nature-based solutions for carbon capture and storage.