Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Manaus
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Manaus has lost about 1,980 hectares of forest (about 2,800 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (66%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 7,990 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,980 ha25% of it, about 2,800 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 1,300 hadeforestation, 66% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2023252 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north-west of the city centre.
Satellite photos of the same 5 × 5 km area, one per year, all taken in the same season so the colours compare. You can see forest being cleared and towns spreading, though not single trees. Download the before/after image (free to reuse with credit to Airleaf).
Year by year
Forest lost around Manaus, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 123 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 52 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2023, when about 252 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 38 ha | 5 ha | 42 ha |
| 2002 | 51 ha | 2 ha | 53 ha |
| 2003 | 34 ha | 7 ha | 41 ha |
| 2004 | 47 ha | 1 ha | 49 ha |
| 2005 | 75 ha | 16 ha | 90 ha |
| 2006 | 115 ha | 26 ha | 141 ha |
| 2007 | 37 ha | under 1 ha | 38 ha |
| 2008 | 149 ha | 16 ha | 165 ha |
| 2009 | 118 ha | 18 ha | 136 ha |
| 2010 | 62 ha | 16 ha | 78 ha |
| 2011 | 66 ha | 9 ha | 74 ha |
| 2012 | 73 ha | 11 ha | 83 ha |
| 2013 | 34 ha | 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2014 | 38 ha | under 1 ha | 38 ha |
| 2015 | 35 ha | under 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2016 | 22 ha | 9 ha | 31 ha |
| 2017 | 25 ha | 5 ha | 30 ha |
| 2018 | 27 ha | 18 ha | 44 ha |
| 2019 | 27 ha | 109 ha | 136 ha |
| 2020 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2021 | 42 ha | under 1 ha | 43 ha |
| 2022 | 51 ha | under 1 ha | 52 ha |
| 2023 | 57 ha | 195 ha | 252 ha |
| 2024 | 42 ha | 196 ha | 238 ha |
| 2025 | 20 ha | 13 ha | 33 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 6,990 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,260 ha
- Overall change
- −729 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Manaus shrank from about 6,990 hectares to 6,260 hectares, a net loss of about 729 hectares (−10%). New forest grew on about 296 hectares, but 1,030 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation around Manaus?
- 66%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 34%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Towns and roads65% · 1,290 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Wildfires28% · 550 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes6.1% · 120 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Nearby cities losing forest
| City | Forest lost (10 km) | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santarém | 2,640 ha | 25% | 2,510 ha |
| Porto Velho | 3,980 ha | 28% | 3,470 ha |
| Rio Branco | 3,200 ha | 29% | 3,200 ha |
| Marabá | 6,660 ha | 38% | 6,650 ha |
| Belém | 397 ha | 3% | 276 ha |
| Cuiabá | 1,180 ha | 20% | 1,170 ha |
Use this data
Put Manaus's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Manaus
How much forest has Manaus lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Manaus has lost about 1,980 hectares of forest (about 2,800 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (66%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
Is deforestation around Manaus getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 123 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 52 hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation around Manaus?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (65%), wildfires (28%), storms, floods and other natural causes (6.1%). About 1,300 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss around Manaus?
The worst year was 2023, when about 252 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Is the forest around Manaus growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Manaus shrank from about 6,990 hectares to 6,260 hectares, a net loss of about 729 hectares (−10%). New forest grew on about 296 hectares, but 1,030 hectares were lost. These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Can I see satellite images of Manaus over the years?
Yes. The timelapse at the top of this page has a satellite photo for every year from 2017 to 2026 of a 5 × 5 km area near Manaus, where the most forest was lost. Press play to watch it change, or turn on "Show cleared forest" to see exactly where trees were lost.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches within 10 km of the centre of Manaus, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.