How much deforestation is caused by animal agriculture?
Summary
Animal agriculture is the single largest driver of global deforestation. According to the FAO, agricultural expansion drives almost 90% of deforestation worldwide, with livestock grazing alone responsible for approximately 40% of all forest loss. Cattle ranching specifically accounts for 41% of all tropical deforestation.
Supported by 3 cited sources
Key Points
- 1The FAO's Global Remote Sensing Survey found that agricultural expansion drives almost 90% of global deforestation — far more than previously estimated.
- 2Of that agricultural expansion, livestock grazing is responsible for approximately 40% of all forest loss, while conversion to cropland (much of which is grown as animal feed) accounts for over 50%.
- 3This makes beef by far the largest single commodity driver of tropical forest loss.
- 4In South America, almost three-quarters of deforestation is driven by livestock grazing, whereas in Africa and Asia, cropland conversion dominates.
Evidence Summary
The scale of deforestation driven by animal agriculture is staggering, and evidence from multiple major studies converges on a clear picture.
A landmark analysis by Pendrill et al. (2019), published in Global Environmental Change (Volume 56, pp. 1-10), traced commodity-driven deforestation from 2005 to 2013 and found that cattle pasture expansion was responsible for 41% of tropical deforestation — approximately 2.1 million hectares per year.
A follow-up study by Pendrill et al. (2022) in Science (Volume 377, Issue 6611) further refined these numbers, finding that 90-99% of tropical deforestation from 2011 to 2015 was driven by agriculture, with pasture expansion forming the single most important driver — accounting for roughly half of all deforestation that resulted in productive agricultural land.
The regional variation is significant. It is also important to note that a significant portion of crop-driven deforestation also serves animal agriculture indirectly: globally, approximately 77% of all soy produced is used for animal feed rather than direct human consumption (Our World in Data).
Supporting Evidence
The Bottom Line
This means the true footprint of animal agriculture on forests extends well beyond pasture land alone.
Sources & Evidence
3 sources cited across 3 claims
The FAO's Global Remote Sensing Survey found that agricultural expansion drives almost...
ObservationalA landmark analysis by Pendrill et al. (2019), published in Global Environmental...
Expert ConsensusIt is also important to note that a significant portion of crop-driven deforestation...
Observational