Brazil’s Amazon Deforestation Hits Record Low Ahead of Run‑off
Annual deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell to the lowest level on record—3,335 sq km—from August 2025 to July 2026, according to official data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
The Lead
Brazil’s Amazon rainforest experienced its lowest level of deforestation on record—3,335 km² from August 2025 to July 2026—according to INPE’s latest satellite data, marking a 41.8 % decrease from the previous cycle.
Article Body
Brazil announced that deforestation in the Amazon rainforest fell to a record low of 3,335 km² from August 2025 through July 2026, a 41.8 % drop from the prior year, according to data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) [2]. This figure represents the lowest annual loss since satellite monitoring began in 1988 and narrowly beats the previous low of 4,571 km² recorded in 2011–12 [2].
Deforestation in the Cerrado savanna also reached its lowest tally on record—about 5,516 km², down roughly 23.8 % from the year before—based on the same monitoring period [3]. Environmental authorities attribute these declines to stronger satellite monitoring, tougher penalties for illegal logging, and the reinstatement of federal anti-deforestation action plans (PPCDAm and PPCerrado) under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office in 2023 [3].
Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco described the drop as “absolutely stratospheric,” while advocacy groups hailed it as a “historic achievement” demonstrating the impact of political will on curbing deforestation [4]. Since Lula returned to power, cumulative forest loss in the Amazon has declined by over 70 % over four years [4].
This reduction comes as Lula faces a tight run‑off election on October 25 against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029 and prioritize enforcement against organized crime rather than small farmers [4].
What all of this adds up to is a turning point: deforestation is down, but whether this progress endures or reverses hinges on the outcome of Brazil’s upcoming presidential election.
What to watch: Will the deforestation decline persist under continued enforcement, or will new leadership alter the trajectory?