Mekong countries lost 746,000 hectares of tree cover in 2025 — Mongabay

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam together lost 746,168 hectares of tree cover in 2025, including more than 154,000 hectares of primary forest. Nearly 200,000 hectares of losses occurred in protected areas, where the risk of clearing should have been lower, Mongabay reports, citing data from the University of Maryland’s GLAD laboratory and Global Nature Watch.

At the same time, the pace of tree-cover loss in all five countries declined compared with 2024. Overall, the figure for the region fell by almost 25%. Experts cite fewer forest fires, higher rainfall, stronger enforcement of laws and lower commodity prices among the possible reasons. They caution that the short-term decline does not necessarily indicate a lasting trend.

Largest losses in Laos and Myanmar

Laos lost the largest area of tree cover in the region — 230,200 hectares, or about 1% of the country’s area. This was 34% less than a year earlier, but nearly 146,000 hectares of losses were recorded within protected areas. According to Forest Trends senior analyst Phuc Xuan To, forest clearing for agricultural crops likely became a more important driver of losses than the timber trade. He named cassava, bananas, rubber, coffee and durian among such crops.

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In Myanmar, losses totaled nearly 227,000 hectares, about 18% less than in 2024. Shan State was hit the hardest, losing more than 78,500 hectares of tree cover over the year. Forestry expert Thant Zin Mo said that illegal logging, weak oversight and mineral extraction contribute to deforestation in the country.

Situation in other countries

In Cambodia, tree-cover losses exceeded 59,000 hectares, with nearly 32,000 hectares occurring in protected areas. Beng Per Wildlife Sanctuary in the north of the country was hit the hardest, losing more than 4,400 hectares.

Thailand lost more than 111,500 hectares of tree cover, including 3,618 hectares of primary forest; around 11,000 hectares of losses were recorded in protected areas. In Vietnam, the figure exceeded 118,000 hectares, including more than 14,200 hectares of primary forest, while losses in protected areas totaled nearly 3,300 hectares. Compared with 2024, tree-cover losses in Thailand decreased by about 24%, and in Vietnam by 8%.