Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. June 22 marks World Rainforest Day, launched in 2017 by Rainforest Partnership to highlight the critical role of tropical forests. These ecosystems stabilize the climate, regulate rainfall, store vast amounts of carbon, and support most of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. Yet despite their importance, 2024 proved to be a devastating year. Fires ravaged millions of hectares, and several regions experienced record levels of primary forest loss. Here’s a snapshot of the 10 largest tropical rainforest regions: Amazon The Amazon is Earth’s largest rainforest, essential to continental rainfall patterns and global climate regulation. Renowned for its rich biodiversity and Indigenous cultures, more than half of the tropics’ primary forest lies here. It also accounts for the greatest loss — nearly 44 million hectares (109 million acres) since 2002, an area roughly the size of Iraq. Fires in 2024 hit Brazil and Bolivia especially hard. Congo Basin Home to gorillas, bonobos and the elusive okapi, the Congo rainforest spans Central Africa, with 60% located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Deforestation remained relatively low until the 2010s, but has surged in recent years. New Guinea & Northern Australia New Guinea, the world’s second-largest island, is a biodiversity stronghold with species found nowhere else — like tree kangaroos and cassowaries. Though still among the least-disturbed major forest regions, threats from oil palm expansion, mining and logging are rising. Sundaland Comprising Borneo and Sumatra, this region has…This article was originally published on Mongabay