Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Santa Cruz de la Sierra has lost about 1,610 hectares of forest (about 2,200 football pitches): 34% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 4,670 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,610 ha34% of it, about 2,200 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 1,580 hadeforestation, 99% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2010146 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km 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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 26 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 63 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2010, when about 146 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 43 ha | 2 ha | 45 ha |
| 2002 | 29 ha | under 1 ha | 29 ha |
| 2003 | 75 ha | under 1 ha | 76 ha |
| 2004 | 67 ha | 2 ha | 69 ha |
| 2005 | 23 ha | under 1 ha | 23 ha |
| 2006 | 59 ha | 5 ha | 64 ha |
| 2007 | 50 ha | 1 ha | 51 ha |
| 2008 | 131 ha | 5 ha | 136 ha |
| 2009 | 52 ha | 2 ha | 54 ha |
| 2010 | 146 ha | under 1 ha | 146 ha |
| 2011 | 106 ha | 1 ha | 107 ha |
| 2012 | 140 ha | under 1 ha | 140 ha |
| 2013 | 57 ha | under 1 ha | 57 ha |
| 2014 | 55 ha | under 1 ha | 56 ha |
| 2015 | 107 ha | 1 ha | 108 ha |
| 2016 | 92 ha | under 1 ha | 92 ha |
| 2017 | 91 ha | under 1 ha | 91 ha |
| 2018 | 21 ha | under 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2019 | 72 ha | under 1 ha | 72 ha |
| 2020 | 39 ha | under 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2021 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2022 | 16 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2023 | 38 ha | under 1 ha | 38 ha |
| 2024 | 32 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2025 | 26 ha | under 1 ha | 26 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 3,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,810 ha
- Overall change
- −491 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Santa Cruz de la Sierra shrank from about 3,300 hectares to 2,810 hectares, a net loss of about 491 hectares (−15%). New forest grew on about 414 hectares, but 905 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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra?
- 99%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 1.2%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Towns and roads55% · 888 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Farms, pasture and plantations38% · 616 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Mining and energy5% · 80 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes1.2% · 20 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
Also, each under 1%: unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Santa Cruz de la Sierra's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Santa Cruz de la Sierra
How much forest has Santa Cruz de la Sierra lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Santa Cruz de la Sierra has lost about 1,610 hectares of forest (about 2,200 football pitches): 34% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
Is deforestation around Santa Cruz de la Sierra getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 26 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 63 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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (55%), farms, pasture and plantations (38%), mining and energy (5%). About 1,580 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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra?
The worst year was 2010, when about 146 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Santa Cruz de la Sierra growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Santa Cruz de la Sierra shrank from about 3,300 hectares to 2,810 hectares, a net loss of about 491 hectares (−15%). New forest grew on about 414 hectares, but 905 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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 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.