SAO PAULO, Brazil — Tropical forest loss declined last year, but other indicators show that the world’s woodlands remain under tremendous pressure, according to an analysis released on Thursday by the Global Forest Watch monitoring project. Destruction of forests helps drive global climate change. …and also imperils biodiversity. The loss of primary forests, sometimes known as old-growth forests, in the tropics declined 9% last year compared to 2022. …The world last year lost about 37,000 square kilometers (14,000 square miles) of tropical primary forest. …Declining forest loss in Brazil and Colombia was largely offset by greater losses elsewhere, Global Forest Watch director Mikaela Weisse said. “The world took two steps forward, two steps back,” Weisse said. …Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bolivia topped the ranking of tropical countries with the most primary forest loss. …Neighboring Colombia experienced a 49% drop in forest loss.