Major threats to tropical rainforests include agricultural expansion (cattle, soy, oil palm and other commodities), logging, mining, and infrastructure that clear or fragment forests. Climate change adds pressure by creating hotter, drier conditions that make forests more flammable.
According to World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch analysis of 2025 data, agricultural expansion remains the leading driver of tree-cover loss overall, while fires accounted for about 42% of the 25.5 million hectares of tree-cover loss worldwide that year. Tropical primary rainforest loss fell 36% from 2024’s record high but stayed far above levels needed to halt forest loss by 2030.