Shifting agriculture alone has led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of hectares of tree cover annually, with the year 2022 marking a significant tree cover loss of nearly 157,000 hectares due to this practice. Wildfires, although contributing less to the overall tree cover loss, remain a concern, as evidenced by the recent fire alert.
Bolivia's struggle with tree cover loss has broader implications for biodiversity, climate change, and the well-being of its inhabitants. The net change in tree cover reveals a complex interplay of loss and gain, with a net loss that underscores the urgency of addressing these environmental issues. The country's rich biodiversity and the health of its ecosystems hang in the balance as it confronts the dual threats of human-induced land-use changes and natural disasters.
