Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Santarém
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Santarém has lost about 2,640 hectares of forest (about 3,700 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest in 2000
- 10,500 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,640 ha25% of it, about 3,700 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 2,510 hadeforestation, 95% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2012380 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south 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 Santarém, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 91 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 146 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2012, when about 380 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 | 75 ha | 2 ha | 77 ha |
| 2002 | 64 ha | 3 ha | 66 ha |
| 2003 | 46 ha | under 1 ha | 47 ha |
| 2004 | 107 ha | 1 ha | 108 ha |
| 2005 | 61 ha | under 1 ha | 61 ha |
| 2006 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2007 | 92 ha | 2 ha | 94 ha |
| 2008 | 89 ha | 2 ha | 91 ha |
| 2009 | 119 ha | 5 ha | 124 ha |
| 2010 | 55 ha | 2 ha | 56 ha |
| 2011 | 93 ha | 2 ha | 94 ha |
| 2012 | 376 ha | 4 ha | 380 ha |
| 2013 | 79 ha | 5 ha | 84 ha |
| 2014 | 79 ha | 4 ha | 83 ha |
| 2015 | 64 ha | 2 ha | 65 ha |
| 2016 | 239 ha | 27 ha | 266 ha |
| 2017 | 164 ha | 7 ha | 171 ha |
| 2018 | 91 ha | under 1 ha | 92 ha |
| 2019 | 116 ha | 4 ha | 120 ha |
| 2020 | 81 ha | 1 ha | 82 ha |
| 2021 | 37 ha | 3 ha | 40 ha |
| 2022 | 105 ha | 9 ha | 114 ha |
| 2023 | 115 ha | 2 ha | 117 ha |
| 2024 | 81 ha | 13 ha | 94 ha |
| 2025 | 60 ha | 31 ha | 91 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 8,310 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,670 ha
- Overall change
- −640 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Santarém shrank from about 8,310 hectares to 7,670 hectares, a net loss of about 640 hectares (−7.7%). New forest grew on about 513 hectares, but 1,150 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 Santarém?
- 95%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 4.7%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Farms, pasture and plantations46% · 1,220 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Towns and roads41% · 1,090 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Mining and energy7.3% · 193 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes2.7% · 71 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Shifting farming2% · 52 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
Also, each under 1%: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manaus | 1,980 ha | 25% | 1,300 ha |
| Belém | 397 ha | 3% | 276 ha |
| Marabá | 6,660 ha | 38% | 6,650 ha |
| Porto Velho | 3,980 ha | 28% | 3,470 ha |
| Cuiabá | 1,180 ha | 20% | 1,170 ha |
| Rio Branco | 3,200 ha | 29% | 3,200 ha |
Use this data
Put Santarém's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Santarém
How much forest has Santarém lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Santarém has lost about 2,640 hectares of forest (about 3,700 football pitches): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
Is deforestation around Santarém getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 91 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 146 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 Santarém?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are farms, pasture and plantations (46%), towns and roads (41%), mining and energy (7.3%). About 2,510 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 Santarém?
The worst year was 2012, when about 380 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Santarém growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Santarém shrank from about 8,310 hectares to 7,670 hectares, a net loss of about 640 hectares (−7.7%). New forest grew on about 513 hectares, but 1,150 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 Santarém 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 Santarém, 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 Santarém, 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.