CLIMATE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Mekong Countries See Drop in Deforestation Rate, But Forest Losses Pile Up
WHY IT MATTERS
The continued loss of forest cover in the Mekong region highlights the need for sustained efforts to protect the region's remaining forests and address the underlying drivers of deforestation.
What happened
The Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam lost a combined 746,168 hectares of tree cover in 2025, with over 154,000 hectares being primary forest. This loss is equivalent to the size of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area.
While the deforestation rate dropped by almost 25% from 2024, experts warn that short-term drops do not always represent a broader trend.
Every country in the Mekong saw a fall in deforestation rates, but each still faces challenges in protecting the region's remaining forests.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Despite a drop in deforestation in 2025, forest losses pile up in the Mekong
Mongabay · Isabel Esterman · Discovery and factual synthesis only; publisher copyright terms apply
CORRECTIONS & UPDATES
- Revision 1 · Initial ingestion · Sep 29, 2026, 2:31 AM
- Revision 2 · Source update detected · Sep 29, 2026, 2:31 AM