Scientific institutes, think tanks, global, regional, and local environmental and conservation organizations warn of the accelerated loss of forests and call on society to join the Amazon League campaign to protect one of the most crucial regions for the planet's health.
Data from Mapbiomas Amazonia reveal that between 1985 and 2023, more than 88 million hectares of forest in the Amazon were destroyed. Scientists warn that, if deforestation reaches between 20% and 25%, the ecosystem could collapse irreversibly.
To address this critical situation, the Amazon League will present a global petition at COP 30, urging governments to take immediate action in favor of tropical forests.
October 21, 2025
The Amazon is dangerously close to its tipping point. Every minute, an area of rainforest equivalent to six football / soccer fields is deforested, according to an estimate by WWF using data from MapBiomas.
Amid this socio-environmental crisis, a group of environmental and scientific organizations have joined forces in an unprecedented alliance to create Amazon League, a global campaign that seeks to mobilize civil society and present a joint petition at COP30, demanding concrete actions to stop the collapse of the Amazon and protect the planet's other tropical forests.
The time is now. Sign the petition at: www.amazonleague.org
The Amazon League is making an urgent call to protect the Amazon and other tropical forests, whose balance will determine the future of the world. These ecosystems are essential for sustaining life in every corner of the planet. In terms of fresh water alone, 20% of the water that reaches the oceans originates in Amazonian rivers. According to research by the Amazon Socio-Environmental Information Network (RAISG), deforestation, forest fires, and the advance of economic activities in the region are compromising water availability and quality, food security, ways of life, biodiversity, and climate cycles.
"The contribution of forests to society is incalculable, and their permanence continues to be threatened by multiple stressors. Although our responsibilities are different, stopping deforestation requires a significant collective effort in which all of us, without exception, can and must be part of the solution. We must commit to actions to halt deforestation, and these must be equitable, effective, and sustainable," said Pablo Pacheco, a scientist at WWF.
The Amazon is home to 47 million people and accounts for about one-third of the planet's tropical forests. Twenty-two percent of the Amazon region—151.7 million hectares—is wetlands, ecosystems that are vital for climate adaptation and water and food security for millions of people, according to RAISG.
In addition, the Scientific Panel for the Amazon (SPA) points out that this forest plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate: it stores between 150 and 200 billion tons of carbon in its soils and vegetation, and its flying rivers have a net cooling effect on the planet.
However, agricultural and livestock expansion, along with other economic activities, threaten this vital function. Estimates from RAISG and the Noroamazónica Alliance calculate that, by 2023, 16.3% of the Amazon territory (140 million hectares) will have lost ecological connectivity, weakening the forest's ability to self-regulate and sustain global climate balance.
"The data we collect from RAISG shows that the Amazon is increasingly fragmented and vulnerable. If we do not act now, we could cross a tipping point and jeopardize the regulation of the planet's climate. This campaign is an opportunity for civil society and governments to jointly commit to protecting the most vital forest on the planet," insisted Angélica García, secretary of the Amazonian Network for Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information (RAISG).
Data from Mapbiomas Amazonia reveal that between 1985 and 2023, more than 88 million hectares of forest in the Amazon were destroyed. Scientists warn that if deforestation reaches between 20% and 25%, the ecosystem could collapse irreversibly. And in its latest Living Planet Report (2024), WWF warns that nearly 17% of the Amazon rainforest has already disappeared, bringing us dangerously close to that tipping point
“At WCS, we work in the Amazon alongside indigenous peoples, local communities, scientists, and governments to maintain ecological integrity and connectivity and transform knowledge into effective action. The Amazon is at the center of the planet's balance: its health determines ours. Now is the time to bring together science, commitment, and cooperation to ensure that the planet's largest forest continues to sustain life and culture for the benefit of all," said José Luis Gómez, WCS regional director for the Andes, Amazon, and Orinoquia region.
Halting the loss of the Amazon is essential to meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity. But beyond international commitments, it is an urgent matter for humanity. Hundreds of communities and cultures depend on these forests for their livelihoods, and millions of people around the world benefit from their invisible but vital services.
From the flying rivers that originate within it—and feed the aqueducts and crops of Latin America—to the fruits, resins, and resources that reach markets around the world, the Amazon sustains life in many ways. Every tree that is cut down or burned not only destroys a habitat: it erases a universe of life, knowledge, and hope, and even the possibility of discovering an active ingredient capable of saving human lives.
“Only through regional cooperation and coordination between governments, indigenous peoples, Amazonian communities, civil society, and academia can we guarantee the integrity of the Amazon. COP30 represents a historic opportunity for Amazonian countries to act as a united political bloc, transforming commitments into concrete actions. Strengthening cooperation and the involvement of all actors is key to ensuring climate justice and keeping alive the Amazon's role as the heart of global climate action," added Luisa Fernanda Bacca, co-director of the Pan-Amazonian Institute.
For Fernando Trujillo, scientific director of the Omacha Foundation, "the Amazon is one of the great tropical forests on the planet, with undeniable importance for climate stability, biodiversity preservation, and indigenous peoples. We cannot simply be spectators of deforestation, species loss, mercury pollution, and the collapse of fisheries. It is everyone's responsibility to join forces and act now to preserve it."
Amazon League is the result of joint efforts by organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Conservation International (CI), the Amazon Network for Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information (RAISG), the Scientific Panel for the Amazon (SPA), the Pan-Amazonian Institute (IPA), Conservation International (CI), the Omacha Foundation, and the Foundation for Conservation and Development (FCDS), among others.
Note to the editor
Amazon League is a campaign that calls on all citizens of the world to play the most important game in our history before the final whistle leaves us out of the game. Because the Amazon is now the most valuable field on the planet, the league we should all belong to, and the jersey we can wear with pride. Now is the time to act. Just as the world comes together to celebrate football/soccer, it can also come together to advocate for life.
We can all be part of the Amazon League—by signing the petition, supporting organizations that work for the Amazon, and adopting habits that reduce our impact on nature—because every action counts when the future of the planet is at stake.
