Despite a drop in deforestation in 2025, forest losses pile up in the Mekong

Bangkok — In 2025, the Mekong region, comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, experienced a combined loss of 746,168 hectares (1.8 million acres) of tree cover, equivalent to an area roughly the size of Bangkok Metropolitan Area, according to Mongabay's analysis. The analysis, based on data from the Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) laboratory at the University of Maryland and Global Nature Watch (GNW), revealed that over 154,000 hectares (380,000 acres) of the lost tree cover was primary forest.

Nearly 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) of the total loss occurred within the region's protected areas.

Despite the significant tree cover loss, the rate of deforestation in the Mekong region has dropped by nearly 25% from the previous year, 2024, continuing a decline that began in 2023. Factors contributing to the reduction in deforestation rates include fewer wildfires, higher rainfall, stricter law enforcement, and lower market rates for commodities.

However, experts caution that short-term decreases in deforestation may not indicate a broader trend. Each Mekong country saw a decline in deforestation from 2024 to 2025, yet they all continue to face various challenges in protecting their remaining forests. The data from 2025 confirms a drop in deforestation rates across all Mekong nations, but the loss of tree cover was still significant.