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Brazilian Amazon Deforestation Hits Lowest Level Since 1988
Confirmed
In Short: Brazil's Amazon rainforest deforestation has reached its lowest level since records began in 1988, with 3,335 square kilometers cleared in the year ending in July 2026, according to data released by the Brazilian space research agency Inpe.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed his goal to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030, highlighting the significant progress made under his administration.
Environment Minister Joao Paulo Capobianco described the drop as an 'historic achievement' and 'absolutely stratospheric,' noting the stark contrast to the mid-1990s when deforestation peaked at nearly 30,000 square kilometers annually.
The Prodes satellite data series, considered the most accurate measure of deforestation, showed a 41.8% decrease in forest clearance over the past year compared to the previous year.
In addition to the Amazon, the neighboring Cerrado savanna also saw its lowest annual deforestation since 2001, with 5,516 square kilometers cleared.
Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima, praised the government's efforts, stating, 'They put Brazil at the forefront of the forest protection agenda and show the world that, with political will, it is possible to stop the chainsaws and curb greenhouse gas emissions.'
However, the upcoming presidential election poses a challenge to this progress. Seven of the nine governors of Amazon states are allied with Flávio Bolsonaro, a frontrunner who has campaigned on reducing protections for the Amazon.
Conservationists also warn that the super El Niño brewing in the Pacific could exacerbate the situation, as El Niño events are associated with drought in the southern Amazon and increased fires in the year following a strong event.
What this adds
The previous lowest level of deforestation in the Amazon was recorded in 2011-2012, when 4,571 square kilometers were destroyed.
The data shows a 71.2% reduction in deforestation since 2022, the year before President Lula returned to office.
The near-term outlook for the Amazon remains uncertain due to political dynamics and the potential impact of El Niño.
Background
Brazil's Legal Amazon, in Portuguese Amazônia Legal, is the largest socio-geographic division in Brazil, containing all nine states in the Amazon basin. The government designated this region in 1948 based on its studies on how to plan the economic and social development of the Amazon region.
What's confirmed
- "They put Brazil at the forefront of the forest protection agenda and show the world that, with political will, it is possible to stop the chainsaws and curb greenhouse gas emissions," Astrini said on his organization's website.
- "The figures released today are a historic achievement," said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima.
- Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest declined to the lowest level on record in the 12 months through July, according to data released by Brazilian space research agency Inpe.
- Forest clearance at smallest total since records began in 1988 in success for Lula ahead of presidential run-off Forest clearance at smallest total since records began in 1988 in success for Lula ahead of presidential run-off Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since records began, new government data shows.
What's still developing
- According to data released by the Brazilian space research agency Inpe on Friday, between August 2025 and July 2026, 3,335 square kilometers (1,288 square miles) of forest were cleared, the lowest level witnessed since records began in 1988.
- In the mid-90s, the figure had reached a record high of nearly 30,000 square kilometres destroyed a year.
- The senator pledged in his manifesto to strengthen environmental oversight in the Amazon, prioritising areas under the greatest pressure from deforestation and wildfires.
- Since 2022, the year before the start of the Lula administration, the deforestation rate has slowed by 71.2%, according to the data collated by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research.
- This beats the previous record low by 1,236 sq km, equivalent to an area the size of Rio de Janeiro.
- Amazon deforestation rose 59.5 percent during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, who cut funding for forest protection agencies and eased enforcement against illegal miners and loggers.
- “The country will decide whether we move toward the end of deforestation or toward the end of the forest,” said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a coalition of environmental groups.
- Deforestation in the Amazon now amounts to about 15% of the biome, according to research by Amazon Conservation, a nonprofit.
- He faces a tough re-election bid later this month, raising concerns about whether recent progress in reducing Amazon forest loss will continue.
- Mr Bolsonaro was speaking the day after an impassioned speech from teenage Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who accused world leaders of betraying young people in favour of what she described as "fairy tales of eternal economic growth". The Brazilian president defended his government's treatment of indigenous people, saying many backed his policies. "Some people both inside and outside Brazil... have insisted on treating and keeping our Indians as though they were real cave men," he said.
- He said it was a "fallacy" to describe the Amazon as the heritage of humanity and a "misconception" that its forests were the lungs of the world.
- Conservationists blame Mr Bolsonaro and his government for turning a blind eye to farmers and loggers clearing land in the Amazon, hastening deforestation.