Bolivia’s Alarming Deforestation Crisis: How a Religious Sect Drives Forest Loss

Satellite imagery reveals a stark decline in Bolivia’s eastern lowlands forests between 1984 and 2022, primarily due to expanding agricultural land.

Over recent decades, wildfires, farmers, and cattle ranchers have destroyed millions of acres of tropical forests worldwide. While Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia have historically led in deforestation, Bolivia has recently emerged as a major contributor. In 2025 alone, Bolivia lost 1.5 million acres of primary forest—second only to Brazil—according to a joint analysis by the University of Maryland and the World Resources Institute (WRI). This area is nearly equivalent to the size of Delaware.

The deforestation in Bolivia affects globally significant ecosystems, including the Amazon rainforest and the Chiquitano dry forests. These regions are biodiversity hotspots, home to species like the maned wolf, a long-legged canine not actually related to wolves. They also store vast amounts of carbon; when trees are cleared, the stored carbon is rapidly released into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change. Notably, annual carbon emissions from tropical deforestation exceed the total emissions of the European Union.

The Role of Cattle Ranching and Soy Farming

At first glance, Bolivia’s deforestation story mirrors trends in other tropical countries: forests are cleared for cattle ranching and agriculture, the two leading causes of tropical forest loss. Landowners often use fire to clear land, and worsening droughts—exacerbated by climate change—have made these fires more destructive, spreading into untouched primary forests.

However, Bolivia’s deforestation crisis has a unique driver: a white religious sect actively clearing forests. Daniel Larrea, science and technology program director at Conservación Amazónica, a Bolivian NGO, explains that clearing forested land for cattle ranching is often cheaper than purchasing existing pasture. Additionally, Bolivia’s legal system incentivizes deforestation by requiring landowners to demonstrate “productive use” of their land, such as raising cattle for beef, or risk losing ownership.

Soy farming is another major contributor to Bolivia’s deforestation. Between 2001 and 2021, soy farms—Bolivia’s top export crop by weight—destroyed approximately 2.2 million acres of forests, roughly the size of Puerto Rico, according to a 2023 report by the Amazon Conservation Association (affiliated with Conservación Amazónica). This expansion feeds global demand for animal feed and soybean oil.

Why This Matters for Climate and Biodiversity

The rapid loss of Bolivia’s forests threatens critical ecosystems and accelerates climate change. The Amazon rainforest and Chiquitano dry forests are vital carbon sinks, and their destruction releases stored carbon, contributing to global warming. The maned wolf and other wildlife face habitat loss, further endangering biodiversity.

Bolivia’s deforestation crisis highlights the urgent need for sustainable land-use policies and enforcement to protect these irreplaceable ecosystems. Without intervention, the country risks losing more of its forests, with dire consequences for climate stability and biodiversity.