# Brazil cuts fragmented forest by 43% in 38 years

> Brazil's native forest fragments dropped 43% over 38 years, with smaller patches spreading across biomes.
- Title: Brazil cuts fragmented forest by 43% in 38 years | Shortify
- Summary: Brazil's native forest fragments dropped 43% over 38 years, with smaller patches spreading across biomes.
- Keywords: brazil, native vegetation, fragmented forest, mapbiomas, degradation module, atlantic forest, cerrado, pampa, Agência Brasil
- Source: Agência Brasil — https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/meio-ambiente/noticia/2026-10/brazil-reduces-fragmented-native-vegetation-area-43-over-38-years
- Published: 2026-10-29T19:37:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brazil, native vegetation, fragmented forest, mapbiomas, degradation module, atlantic forest, cerrado, pampa, news
## Fragmented forest decline
Brazil reduced fragmented native vegetation by 43% over 38 years from 287 hectares in 1986 to 163 hectares in 2024.
## Fragmentation trends
Fragmented patches increased from 2.35 million in 1986 to 3.41 million in 2024, with smaller average sizes.
## Biome impacts
Atlantic forest has 1.38 million fragments, the smallest average size of 25 hectares, while cerrado has 957,000 fragments.
## Amazon fragmentation
Amazon fragments grew from 2,700 hectares to 662 hectares, a 76 percent reduction in average size since 1986.
## Edge effects
37 million to 102 million hectares of native vegetation face edge effects, with cerrado most affected by vulnerability.
## COP17 presentation
MapBiomas presented findings at COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, highlighting fragmentation's role in biodiversity loss.
## Key takeaway

Brazil reduced fragmented native vegetation by 43% since 1986, but fragments grew smaller and more numerous.