Deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level in ten years, according to new satellite figures from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research.
Clearing in the world’s largest tropical rainforest dropped by almost 37 percent in the monitoring year running from August 2025 to July 2026. DR reports that the decline is the steepest recorded in a decade, based on the institute’s newly released data.
The institute measured 2,874 square kilometers of rainforest cleared during the twelve-month period. It has monitored Amazon deforestation by satellite since 2016. Large areas of the forest have been felled over decades to make room for cattle ranching and crop farming.
By comparison, deforestation peaked in 2022 at 12,500 square kilometers, according to the official data cited by DR. That peak came while right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro was in office. Deforestation has fallen since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to power.
Lula has pledged to halt illegal deforestation by 2030. According to his remarks reported by DR, the new figures indicate the target is reachable if Brazil maintains its current pace and keeps the necessary resources available. He pointed to the seriousness of the effort so far.
The Amazon stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise add to the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere. Researchers say the forest therefore has major significance for the global climate. Its condition remains the subject of close international attention.
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Election backdrop
Lula is standing for re-election in October. His opponent is Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted over a coup attempt. Opinion polls show a close race, with Lula slightly ahead.
Flávio Bolsonaro views forest protection measures as an obstacle to Brazilian economic growth, DR reports. He has vowed to end a ban on soy production that involves clearing rainforest. That position stands in contrast to the policy Lula has pursued since taking office.
Lula has argued before that conservation and agriculture can coexist. Reuters reported in 2022, during his previous campaign, that he said Brazil could raise farm output without felling a single tree. That claim was made before he returned to the presidency.
The new numbers cover a full monitoring year that closed at the end of July 2026. The release of the annual satellite data is what places the figures in the news now. No revised estimates or competing measurements have been published alongside them.
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research produces the annual deforestation estimate used by the government and by international observers. Its satellite system tracks changes in forest cover across the Amazon basin. The 2016 start date marks the beginning of the current monitoring series.
