Forest clearing in Brazil’s Amazon fell to 3,335 square kilometres between August 2025 and July 2026, according to official satellite data. This was a reduction of 41.8 per cent from the previous year and the lowest figure since records began in 1988.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government has strengthened environmental protection since he returned to office in 2023. It restored penalties for illegal clearing detected by satellites and increased support for areas that reduced forest loss. The government says Amazon deforestation, or forest clearing, has fallen by 71 per cent since 2023.
However, the forest still faces serious risks. El Niño, a periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean, can bring hotter, drier conditions that encourage wildfires. Political uncertainty also threatens progress. Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro face a presidential runoff on 25 October. Conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies that limit forest clearing. His campaign says he supports environmental protection, and he has promised to end illegal deforestation by 2029.
