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Global Deforestation Increased 3.2% in 2023 Despite Tropical Forest Loss Decreasing . Fox News reports that the global loss of primary forests in the world's tropics declined slightly in 2023 compared to the year before. According to Global Forest Watch researchers, the world lost about 14,000 square miles of tropical primary forest, sometimes referred to as old-growth forests, in 2023. Global Forest Watch (GFW) director Mikaela Weisse warns that declining losses in Colombia and Brazil were mostly offset by increased losses in other places. "The world took two steps forward, two steps back." Mikaela Weisse, Global Forest Watch (GFW) director, via Fox News. Fox News reports that scientists consider tropical primary forests to be treasure troves of biodiversity, with the Amazon rainforest home to an estimated 10% of Earth's known species. According to Weisse, tropical primary forest losses in 2023 caused greenhouse gas emissions equal to half of the United States' annual fossil fuel emissions. The GFW found that Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bolivia topped the list of tropical nations with the most primary forest losses. Despite remaining on top of the list, forest loss in Brazil fell 36% as a result of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's aggressive conservation policies. At the same time, Colombia experienced a 49% decline in forest loss amid President Gustavo Petro's environmental preservation efforts. Overall, beyond just tropical primary forest loss, global deforestation rose 3.2% in 2023. "We are far off track and trending in the wrong direction when it comes to reducing global deforestation.", Rod Taylor, World Resources Institute forests director, via Fox News. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT