Peru lost 3.7 million hectares of natural vegetation since 1985, MapBiomas reports

Peru has experienced a dramatic loss of natural vegetation, with 3.7 million hectares disappearing between 1985 and 2025. During the same period, areas dedicated to agriculture, mining, and urban development expanded by 4.3 million hectares, marking a 53% increase in land use for these activities. These figures come from data released by the MapBiomas Perú network.

The Amazon region of Peru bore the brunt of this environmental change, accounting for the largest absolute loss of natural vegetation at 3.2 million hectares. Despite this, 94% of the Amazon's original forests from 1985 remain. In contrast, mining areas saw the most explosive relative growth, expanding by an astonishing 2,510% over the 41-year period, with a particularly significant increase in the Amazon.

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This collection allows us to reconstruct which covers were transformed, where the changes occurred, and what activities were associated with those transformations, generating evidence for informed decisions throughout the Peruvian territory.

Beyond the Amazon, the Andes mountains lost 273,000 hectares of natural vegetation, and glacier surface area decreased by 111,000 hectares, a 54% reduction. The coastal desert also saw a 35% loss of its natural, non-vegetated area, totaling 271,600 hectares. These transformations were primarily driven by agricultural expansion and urban infrastructure development.

MapBiomas Perú, a collaborative platform led by the Institute of Common Goods (IBC), aims to provide evidence for informed decisions regarding land use changes. The platform's latest data collection, 'Collection 4,' meticulously analyzes annual land cover and use changes. The data, validated by the National University of San Marcos, is freely available, offering a detailed picture of Peru's evolving landscape.

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academic rigor guarantees that the data offered are precise and reliable