Brazil’s Amazon rainforest recorded its lowest annual deforestation rate since monitoring began, with new figures showing a sharp decline in destruction during the 12 months through July.
About 3,335 square kilometres of rainforest were cleared during the period, according to data from Brazil’s space research agency Inpe. The figure marks the lowest point in the historical series, which dates back to 1988.
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Deforestation fell by roughly 42% compared with the previous 12-month period.
The previous record low came in 2011-2012, when 4,571 square kilometres of Brazil’s Amazon were destroyed.
The figures, released yesterday, come from Inpe’s PRODES satellite monitoring programme, which tracks deforestation annually from August to July. The timeframe is used because satellite images are less likely to be obscured by cloud cover during the middle of the year.
“The figures released today are a historic achievement,” said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima. He said the results demonstrate to the world that “with political will, it is possible to curb deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.”
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office in 2023 after pledging to end deforestation by 2030. The commitment followed a surge in forest loss during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro, when deforestation reached its highest level in 15 years.
Mr Lula is due to face Mr Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in a presidential election runoff on 25 October after the senator performed better than expected in the first round.
In his manifesto, the senator pledged to reinforce environmental oversight in the Amazon, with priority given to areas facing the greatest pressure from deforestation and wildfires.
He said enforcement efforts would target organised crime rather than extractive workers and small farmers.
Deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado savanna also declined during the period, falling by about 24% to roughly 5,517 square kilometres. Inpe said that was the lowest level recorded in the series, which began in 2001.
