Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| deforestación | /defoɾestaˈθjon/ /defoɾestaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
| desmontadura | /desmontaˈduɾa/ | feminine |
| desmonte | /desˈmonte/ | masculine |
The term refers to the process of destroying a forest. The related verb for this process is deforestar.
Which one should you use?
deforestación is the standard term for the large-scale ecological phenomenon of deforestation. In contrast, desmonte refers more specifically to the clearing of land or scrubland, often for agricultural or construction purposes. desmontadura is another feminine form related to this concept.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Ecuador, the phrase tala indiscriminada is used to describe uncontrolled logging. In Mexico, the phrase cambio de uso de suelo is used to refer to land-use changes, including deforestation.
How does it change in a sentence?
deforestación and desmontadura are feminine nouns and require feminine articles such as la or una. desmonte is a masculine noun and requires masculine articles such as el or un.
How do you pronounce it?
/defoɾestaˈθjon/
Did you know?
- The word desmonte comes from the verb desmontar, which can also mean 'to disassemble' a piece of machinery or 'to dismount' from a horse.
- In some regions, desmonte refers specifically to removing the 'monte', a word that means 'mountain' but is used locally to describe wild scrubland or brush.
- In legal and governmental contexts in Mexico, deforestación is often avoided in favor of the euphemism cambio de uso de suelo, which means 'land-use change'.
Examples in context
- Reducir la deforestación es una manera de mitigar los impactos del calentamiento global.Reducing deforestation is one way to mitigate the impacts of climate change.This sentence shows how to talk about the relationship between reducing deforestación and mitigating climate change impacts.Tatoeba #5250765 by wcharpentier, translation #5250661 by Hybrid
- Un santuario de la biodiversidad en Brasil llamado El Pantanal, se encuentra amenazado por la deforestación.A biodiversity sanctuary in Brazil called The Pantanal is threatened by deforestation.This sentence illustrates how deforestación can threaten biodiversity sanctuaries.Tatoeba #1415514 by hayastan, translation #1415085 by Spamster
- La deforestación es un problema ambiental global.Deforestation is a global environmental problem.
- La deforestación está afectando a los animales locales.Deforestation is affecting the local animals.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are discussing an environmental news report.
- MateoHe visto que la deforestación es un gran problema.I've seen that deforestation is a big problem.
- ElenaSí, Mateo, es una situación muy preocupante.Yes, Mateo, it is a very worrying situation.
- Mateo¿Crees que la deforestación parará pronto?Do you think deforestation will stop soon?
- ElenaEs difícil saberlo, pero debemos actuar.It's hard to know, but we must act.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “deforestation” translations and entries deforestación, desmontadura, desmonte, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
