Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1988, according to new government data released ahead of a crucial presidential election.
The Guardian reported that forest destruction dropped by 41.8 ... [1142 chars]

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1988, according to new government data released ahead of a crucial presidential election.The...

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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Indigenous leaders from across the Amazon are taking their fight against illegal mining, drug trafficking and deforestation to a United Nations conference in Vienna starting Monday.
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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Indigenous leaders from across the Amazon are taking their fight against illegal mining, drug trafficking and deforestation to a United Nations conference in Vienna starting Monday.
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Sao Paulo, Oct 16 (AP) Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometres (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60 per cent, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71 per cent since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
———————————————–
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development," he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
———————————————————-
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40 per cent of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47 per cent of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45 per cent. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement" for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions," she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it."
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers," his campaign said. (AP) RD
RD
Official satellite data announced by Brazil's government revealed that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to 3,335 square kilometres between August 2025 and July 2026, marking the lowest level since records began in 1988.
Lula revived the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm), restored satellite-based sanctions for illegal clearing, barred properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans, and increased funding for environmental crime enforcement.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by approximately 60 percent, resulting in more than 45,000 square kilometers of cleared rainforest.

Brazil says Amazon deforestation fell to lowest level since 1988

By Lisandra Paraguassu and Andre Romani
BRASILIA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - 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 ‌on Friday.
Some 3,335 square kilometers (1,287.65 square miles) of Amazon jungle were destroyed in the 12 months through ​July, an all-time low in the historical series that goes back to 1988. It was a fall of about 42% from the preceding period.
The previous lowest level for Brazil's Amazon deforestation was reached in 2011-2012, when 4,571 square kilometers were destroyed. In the mid-90s, ‌the figure had reached a record ⁠high of nearly 30,000 square kilometers destroyed a year.
The data released on Friday, which is produced yearly by Inpe's PRODES satellite monitoring ⁠program, is measured from August to July as there is less cloud cover in the middle of the year to obscure deforestation on satellite images.
"The figures released today are a ​historic achievement," ​said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at climate ​advocacy group Observatorio do Clima, adding ‌they show 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 pledging to end deforestation by 2030, after it soared to its highest in 15 years during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula will face Bolsonaro's eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, ‌in a presidential election runoff on October 25, ​after the younger Bolsonaro performed better than expected in ​the first round.
The senator pledged ​in his manifesto to strengthen environmental oversight in the Amazon, prioritizing ‌areas under the greatest pressure from deforestation ​and wildfires. He said law ​enforcement would focus on organized crime rather than on extractive workers and small farmers.
In Brazil's Cerrado savanna, deforestation fell about 24% in the period, to some ​5,517 square kilometers, also ‌the lowest on record in a series going back to 2001, Inpe data ​showed.

By Lisandra Paraguassu and Andre Romani BRASILIA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest declined to the lowest level on record in the 12 months through July, according to data

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls to all-time low

Annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988, Brazil's government said on Friday.
Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 1,300 square miles from August 2025 to July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data underscores the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.
During Mr Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 17,400 square miles cleared, according to official data.
Under Mr Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Mr Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm.
Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Mr Bolsonaro.
Mr Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva, who led the environment ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress, and Joao Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Mr Bolsonaro.
The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss.
It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidised credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Marcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Mr Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced on Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming.
The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years.
A strong El Nin, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
She said: 'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment.
'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'

Amazon deforestation falls to lowest level since 1988, Brazil says

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
SAO PAULO (AP) —
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022,
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change,
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
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'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender,
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's

This marks a significant reversal from the surge under former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazil says Amazon deforestation fell to the lowest level since 1988

SAO PAULO — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.

SAO PAULO — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335…

SAO PAULO — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
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How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.

Brazil's government announces that annual deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 1988.

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.
Some 3,335 square kilometres of Amazon jungle were destroyed in the 12 months through July, an all-time low in the historical series that goes back to 1988.
It was a fall of about 42% from the preceding period.
The previous lowest level for Brazil's Amazon deforestation was reached in 2011-2012, when 4,571 square ‌kilometres were destroyed.
In the mid-90s, ⁠the figure had reached a record high of nearly 30,000 square kilometres destroyed a year.
The data released yesterday, which is produced yearly by Inpe's PRODES satellite monitoring programme, is measured from August to July as there is less cloud cover in the middle of the year to obscure deforestation on satellite ‌images.
"The figures released today are a historic achievement," said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima, adding they show ⁠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 pledging to end ⁠deforestation by ‌2030, after it soared to its highest in 15 years during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Mr Lula will face Mr Bolsonaro's eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in a presidential election runoff on 25 October, after Mr Bolsonaro ⁠performed better than expected in the first round.
The senator pledged in his manifesto to strengthen environmental oversight ⁠in the Amazon, prioritising areas under the greatest pressure from deforestation and wildfires.
He said law enforcement would focus on organised crime rather than on extractive workers and small farmers.
In Brazil's Cerrado savanna, deforestation fell about 24% in the period, to some 5,517 square kilometres, also the lowest on record in a series going back to 2001, Inpe data showed.

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.

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
'Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Brazil's government announces that annual deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 1988. Official data show the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers from August 2025 through July 2026.

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Annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988, Brazil's government said on Friday.
Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 1,300 square miles from August 2025 to July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data underscores the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.
During Mr Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 17,400 square miles cleared, according to official data.
Under Mr Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Mr Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm.
Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Mr Bolsonaro.
Mr Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva, who led the environment ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress, and Joao Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Mr Bolsonaro.
The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss.
It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidised credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Marcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Mr Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced on Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming.
The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years.
A strong El Nin, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
She said: 'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment.
'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
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Despite progress on deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
The Associated Press

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate. The data released Friday…

SAO PAULO — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
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One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva - who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress - and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Brazil's government announces that annual deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 1988

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
'Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
'Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff .
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing . He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them .
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost…

SAO PAULO -- SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Brazil's government says deforestation rates in the country's Amazon and savanna regions have fallen to record lows ahead of a presidential election run-off in which the rainforest's future is a key issue.
Left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, when he assumed office three years ago, pledged to end deforestation by 2030 in the Amazon. It had surged under his right-wing predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula will face Bolsonaro's son Flavio in the run-off on 25 October, with polls suggesting a neck-and-neck race. Flavio is expected to continue his father's policies if he wins, though he has pledged to fight organised crime in the Amazon.
Satellite data shows that in the year to July 2026, the deforestation rate fell by 41.8% in the Amazon - the biggest drop since records began in 1988. The fall in the Cerrado, Brazil's savanna region, was 23.8%.
The Amazon rainforest - the world's largest - is a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change and 60% of it is located in Brazil.
Jair Bolsonaro promoted mining in indigenous lands in the Amazon and forest clearances soared at the same time as resources to protect the forest were cut.
During Bolsonaro's presidency from 2019 to 2022, the Amazon lost nearly 60% more in forest lands compared to the previous four years, news agency AFP reported, citing official data.
Lula reversed his policies and oversaw deforestation rates drop to a six-year low during his first year in office. Lula tightened up environmental monitoring and penalties for illegal logging.
"Our goal is to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030," he said in a post on X on Friday.
Tropical rainforests like the Amazon are home to millions of species. In a healthy state, they absorb vast quantities of planet-warming carbon dioxide, helping to keep the Earth cool.
But they have come under increasing pressure from decades of deliberate land clearance for agriculture and logging, as well as climate change, which scientists warn can create conditions for wildfires.
Brazil's Environment Minister Joao Paulo Capobianco described the decline in Amazon deforestation as "absolutely stratospheric".
It was an "historic achievement" for Brazil, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima.
It showed that "with political will, it is possible to curb deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions", Astrini said.

The Amazon rainforest is a crucial buffer against climate change - but deforestation had expanded under former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazil sees record fall in Amazon deforestation as key election looms

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
"The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development," he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
"Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment," she said. "The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply."
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a "historic achievement" for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
"Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions," she said.
"Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it."
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
"Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers," his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Gabriela Sá Pessoa, The Associated Press

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Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Officia

A helicopter from Brazil's environmental agency flies over an area of the Amazon rainforest during a wildfire-fighting operation in Autazes, Amazonas state, Brazil, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development," he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development," he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
"The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development," he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
"Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment," she said. "The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply."
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a "historic achievement" for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
"Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions," she said.
"Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it."
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
"Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers," his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Brazil's government announces that annual deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 1988. Official data show the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers from August 2025...

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Advertising
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Advertising
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
Advertising
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate. The data released Friday […]

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff .
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing . He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them .
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Deforestation slowed worldwide last year, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern intensifies, a new study said on Wednesday.
Seven million hectares of forest -- roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland -- were permanently destroyed in 2025, a 15-percent drop from the previous year, according to the annual Forest Declaration Assessment.
The slowdown, however, is not enough to keep the world from missing a pledge to end deforestation by 2030, according to the report, which was drafted by a coalition of research groups and non-governmental organisations.
The 2025 figure is "encouraging but so far it's the exception, not a new trajectory", Erin Matson, the study's co-author and lead consultant at advisory group Climate Focus, said in a media briefing.
To meet the target, agreed at the United Nations' COP26 climate talks in 2021, deforestation would have to fall by around one million hectares per year.
Clearing forests for agriculture or mining operations remains the leading drivers of deforestation.
Last year's improvement was due in part to progress in Latin America, with a 33-percent drop in what has historically been the world's deforestation "hot spot", according to the study.
The authors pointed particularly to Brazil's deforestation action plan and increased enforcement in the country's Amazon.
- 'Irreversible ' -
Progress in the region, however, "rests heavily on the choices of a small number of governments and remains highly vulnerable" to recent and upcoming elections across the Amazon basin.
Brazil's left-wing leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- who has vowed to end illegal deforestation by 2030 -- faces populist right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff presidential election on October 25.
Deforestation had surged under the administration of Bolsonaro's father, far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Progress could also be threatened in Colombia and Peru, where hard-right presidents were recently elected, according to the experts.
Across the Atlantic in Africa, the situation deteriorated in the Congo basin, where rainforest loss reached 2.4 million hectares -- near the same level of deforestation as the Amazon for the first time.
"Losing such a size of forest every year is a disaster," said Sam Nguiffo, a lawyer and founder of the Centre for Environment and Development in Cameroon.
"As humanity, we clearly cannot afford that because it will be totally irreversible," he said.
Logging for timber or felling trees for agriculture or mining appear to prevail in forest management in Central Africa, Nguiffo said.
Deforestation has a "massive impact on the cultural identity and on the livelihood of local and indigenous communities", he said.
"The erosion of the forest, both in size and in number of species, reduces the space available for communities and fuels conflicts," the lawyer added.
- El Nino effects -
El Nino, the warming phase of a natural climate cycle, also threatens progress because its effects include droughts, creating conditions for wildfires.
The current El Nino event, which emerged in June, is expected to peak later this year but is already shaping up to be the strongest ever observed.
El Nino has been associated with strong drought in Indonesia, where tracts of forest and plantations have been burning in biodiverse Borneo and South Sumatra for months.
"If projections of the historically strong 2026-27 El Nino materialise, drought and fire risks will intensify further across tropical forest regions," the deforestation report said.
Matson, of Climate Focus, noted that there was a "huge spike" in tree cover loss during the last "super" El Nino event in 2015-2016.
"We can't fully predict the future but it's unlikely, I would say, that in 2026 we'll see the same kind of reductions (in deforestation) that we saw last year," she said.
jmi/lt/np/gil

Deforestation slowed worldwide last year, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern intensifies, a new study said on Wednesday.

Global deforestation slowed in 2025 but surged in Congo basin: study

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff .
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing . He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them .
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .
LA NACION
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Amazon deforestation has dropped to record lows; government enforcement policies fueled the significant decline - LA NACION

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out. How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America. New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official sat

A helicopter from Brazil's environmental agency flies over an area of the Amazon rainforest during a wildfire-fighting operation in Autazes, Amazonas state, Brazil, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
SAO PAULO – Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
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During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.

Brazil's government announces that annual deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 1988. Official data show the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers from August 2025 through…

Over the last two decades, the world has cut down forests at a rate of roughly one Costa Rica per year.
The largest driver of deforestation has been the expansion of agriculture. This has been true for millennia, and it remains the case today.
But which products, in particular, have been responsible?
, published in Nature Food by Chandrakant Singh and Martin Persson, answered this question.
In the chart below, you can see how much deforestation has been caused by different agricultural commodities. This is shown as the annual average between 2001 and 2023.
Beef was, by far, the largest driver, accounting for 41% of the total. Cattle
for grazing, which means that the growing global demand for beef has led to the expansion of pasture. Beef alone has led to the destruction of more than two UK-sized areas of forest this century.
The second-largest driver was oilseeds. This category is dominated by deforestation for soy and palm oil; a lot of forest was lost to these plantations, especially in the first decade (as we'll see later, these rates have fallen over the past ten years).
The other large drivers — accounting for 12% each — were forest plantations and cereal production.
Understanding what has driven deforestation is important, but so is understanding where the forests were lost.
Let's then take the chart above, but break each bar into the respective regions where it happened. Looking at the chart below, we see that these losses are extremely geographically concentrated for many products.
More than half of deforestation for beef production occurred in Brazil. In fact, one-quarter of all deforestation this century was driven by Brazilian beef production alone. Most other cattle pasture expansion happened in Brazil's neighbors in Latin America. So, clearance for beef is not only the world's largest driver of deforestation; it has also been centered on some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet: the Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado savanna.
Most deforestation for oilseeds — the second-largest driver — has been for palm oil and soy. Almost all of the world's demand for palm oil has been met
— Indonesia and Malaysia — and this shows in the deforestation data. 6% of global deforestation has been caused by Indonesian palm oil production.
Forest plantations have been a large driver in parts of Asia and North America, particularly in the United States and China.
Finally, you can see that across most other products, it's Africa — shown in green — where the most forest has been lost. This is true for staple crops, such as cereals and roots and tubers, as well as for cash crops, such as fruits, nuts, coffee, and cocoa beans. You can also see this clearly when looking at the continent's
, countries across sub-Saharan Africa achieve very low crop yields compared to the rest of the world. As a consequence, most of the growth in food production has come from using more land, rather than using land more productively. This has come at the cost of forests. Improvements in agricultural productivity are not just essential for food security and poverty reduction, but also for preserving natural habitats.
The scale of deforestation, even today, is hard for me to wrap my head around. But a closer look at the data also reveals that the world can do something about it, and for some products, has already done so. Palm oil is a clear example: while large amounts of forest were being cut down for oil palm plantations in the 2000s and early 2010s, rates
Also, all that soy isn't for tofu. Most soy grown is used to feed animals.
Soy grown for human food is just 3.7% of all soy grown
Look how high emissions per 100 grams of protein for beef, mutton, dairy and cheese are!
Emissions per 100 grams of protein are 25 times higher for beef than for tofu.

From Our World in Data By Hannah Ritchie Over the last two decades, the world has cut down forests at a rate of roughly one Costa Rica per y...

Deforestation in the 21st century

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate. The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said. One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro. Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out. How the government curbed deforestation The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation. Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon. 'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups. Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy. " Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added. Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America. New president could determine future of the Amazon Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency. Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires. Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff. Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff. The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal. Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it. 'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said. 'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.' Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them. 'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Global deforestation declined by 15% in 2025 to seven million hectares, but the world remains off track to meet its goal of halting deforestation by 2030, according to the Forest Declaration Assessment 2026.The world has accumulated a deforestation reduction shortfall of 10.7 million hectares since 2021, while 65.4 million hectares of forest were downgraded to a lower ecological integrity category in 2024.Tropical Latin America and the Caribbean reduced deforestation to 33% below the 2018–2020 baseline, while forest loss continued to rise in tropical Africa.Forest protection and restoration received just $6 billion, or 0.3% of global climate finance, in 2024, while only 29% of assessed major companies had comprehensive zero-deforestation commitments.Protected areas cover just 17.33% of the world's land and inland waters, requiring substantial expansion to meet the 2030 target of conserving 30%..Global deforestation fell by 15 per cent in 2025, the sharpest annual decline since the 2018-2020 baseline, but the world remains far from meeting its goal of halting deforestation by 2030, according to a new assessment. The Forest Declaration Assessment 2026, Tracking Progress on 2030 Forest Goals, found that seven million hectares of forest were lost in 2025, compared with annual losses exceeding eight million hectares since 2021. Despite the decline, the world has accumulated a deforestation reduction shortfall of 10.7 million hectares since 2021, compared with the reductions needed to meet the 2030 target.The independent assessment, published by Climate Focus and a coalition of research partners, tracks progress towards halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. It examines forest loss, degradation, ecological integrity and restoration. The findings suggest that recent improvements have not been sufficient to reverse years of forest loss, while progress remains uneven across regions.'Forests are being lost, degraded, and restored at uneven rates across the globe. Global deforestation fell 15 percent from 2024 to 2025, the sharpest year-over-year drop since the 2018-20 baseline,' it noted. 'Yet, this bit of positive news comes after five years in which deforestation hardly budged.'.UN report warns world has entered 'uncharted territory' as future warming set to exceed earlier estimates.Tropical Africa's deforestation continues to rise.Tropical Latin America and the Caribbean recorded a decline in deforestation, with losses falling to 33 per cent below the 2018-2020 baseline. However, the report warned that the Amazon rainforest is approaching a warming threshold that could trigger large-scale ecological changes.In contrast, deforestation continued to rise in tropical Africa, reaching a level comparable to tropical Latin America and the Caribbean for the first time.Deforestation in tropical Asia remained broadly unchanged, with the underlying drivers of forest loss largely unresolved. Forest degradation in tropical moist forests declined to 3.5 million hectares in 2025.However, the report found that damage to the ecological integrity of forests remained widespread. In 2024 alone, 65.4 million hectares of forest were downgraded to a lower ecological integrity category.Unlike deforestation, which involves the conversion of forests to other land uses, loss of ecological integrity reflects deterioration in forest condition and ecological functioning.'Tropical Latin America and the Caribbean and Tropical Africa recorded the sharpest increases, pushing Tropical Africa well off track against its 2030 pathway. Most temperate regions remain broadly on track, but Boreal North America does not,' it said..Fuelwood demand emerges as major driver of global forest loss: UN report.Forest restoration remains far below global target.The assessment found that approximately 11.8 million hectares of land were under active forest restoration, representing nearly 6 per cent of estimated global reforestation potential. The figure highlights the scale of the challenge facing countries seeking to meet the global target of restoring 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems by 2030.Deforestation linked to agricultural commodities and other commercial activities also remained high.Commodity-driven deforestation declined to 6.01 million hectares in 2025, compared with a baseline of 7.24 million hectares during 2018-2020.However, the report warned that the current rate remained far above the pathway needed to eliminate commodity-driven deforestation by 2030.'Increasing demand for forest-risk commodities — like beef and soy, as well as critical minerals and other mined materials — will only place further strain on the world's forests,' it stated.The report also found that conversion of grasslands and other non-forest ecosystems was occurring at an estimated rate of nine million to 13 million hectares annually, exceeding the area affected by deforestation..Businesses are destroying the very natural systems they depend on to survive: IPBES Report.Companies fall short on deforestation commitments.The assessment raised concerns about the private sector's progress in eliminating deforestation from supply chains.Only 29 per cent of companies assessed under the Forest 500 initiative had comprehensive zero-deforestation commitments covering all the commodities they handled.The report also found that 14 major companies had weakened or withdrawn existing commitments in 2025.However, there was progress in the adoption of Science Based Targets initiative standards for Forest, Land and Agriculture (SBTi FLAG). The number of companies adopting these targets doubled in 2025, reaching 461 by June 2026.The findings point to a gap between corporate commitments and the measures needed to eliminate deforestation from global supply chains..Bonn Climate Conference 2026: Countries debate over how to halt deforestation & who pays for the transition .Forests receive just 0.3 per cent of global climate finance.The report found that forest protection and restoration remained severely underfunded. In 2024, the forestry sector received approximately $6 billion in climate finance, equivalent to just 0.3 per cent of the estimated $2 trillion in global climate finance that year. Public funding accounted for most of the support.Governments and other public funders provided $5.26 billion in forestry-related climate finance, compared with $750 million from private sources. Public contributions were therefore around seven times higher than private funding. At the same time, governments continued to provide substantial financial support to activities that could harm forests and other ecosystems.The report estimated that governments spent an average of $410 billion annually on potentially harmful agricultural subsidies between 2022 and 2024. Fossil fuel subsidies amounted to a further $921 billion in 2024. .30x30 target's race to protect nature slowed by extractive industry.Indigenous communities lack legal recognition of land rights.The assessment highlighted the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in forest conservation, alongside continuing gaps in legal recognition of their land rights.According to the report, Indigenous Peoples and local communities hold customary rights over approximately 5.5 billion hectares of land worldwide. However, only one billion hectares have clear legal recognition. The Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment aims to recognise or strengthen rights over 160 million hectares.The report also examined how countries included Indigenous Peoples and local communities in their national climate plans. A 2026 review of 84 submissions under the latest round of nationally determined contributions (NDC), which outline countries' commitments under the Paris Agreement, found that more than 70 per cent mentioned underrepresented groups, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities.This represented 61 of the 84 submissions, compared with 46 in the previous submission round.However, the report found that most references were descriptive and did not explain how these groups had participated in preparing the plans or how they would be involved in implementing them. Few submissions addressed free, prior and informed consent, land rights or equitable benefit-sharing.A separate 2025 analysis by the Rights and Resources Initiative of 25 national climate plans across Latin America, Africa and Asia reached similar conclusions. It found that most commitments lacked concrete mechanisms for recognising territorial rights, enabling community participation or providing direct access to climate finance, 'despite the demonstrated role of IP- and LC-managed territories in storing carbon and reducing deforestation'..1.56 billion hectares, 10% of world's land and nearly 5.2 times the size of India, degraded: UN.Protected areas must expand to meet 2030 target.The report also found that progress towards the global target of conserving 30 per cent of land and sea areas by 2030 remained insufficient. Protected areas currently cover 17.33 per cent of the world's land and inland waters.Reaching the terrestrial component of the 30-by-30 target would therefore require a substantial expansion in protected area coverage over the next four years. The target forms part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022.Beyond environmental and financial challenges, the report raised concerns about restrictions on civic freedoms and their implications for forest governance.It cited the CIVICUS 2026 State of Civil Society Report, which drew on interviews across roughly 100 countries and found continued deterioration in civic space. According to that assessment, civic freedoms were classified as obstructed, repressed or closed for most of the world's population. The Forest Declaration Assessment linked these trends to wider concerns about democratic institutions, civil liberties and the rule of law.

Global deforestation dropped 15% in 2025, the sharpest decline since 2018-2020, but the world remains off track to halt deforestation by 2030, with a 10.7 million-hectare shortfall since 2021,…

Global deforestation falls 15 per cent, but world remains off track to meet 2030 forest goals: Report

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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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 on Friday (October 16, 2026).
Some 3,335 square kilometres (1,287.65 square miles) of Amazon jungle were destroyed ‌in the 12 months through July, an all-time low in the historical series that goes back to ‌1988. It was a fall of about 42% from ‌the ⁠preceding period.
The previous lowest level for Brazil's Amazon ⁠deforestation was reached in 2011-2012, when 4,571 square kilometres were destroyed. In the mid-90s, the figure had reached a record high of nearly 30,000 square kilometres ​destroyed a year.
The data ‌released on Friday (October 16, 2026), which is produced yearly by Inpe's PRODES satellite monitoring program, is measured from August to July as there is less cloud cover in the middle of ‌the year to obscure deforestation on satellite images.
"The figures ​released today are a historic achievement," said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at climate advocacy group Observatorio do ⁠Clima, adding they show 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 pledging to end deforestation by 2030, after it soared to its highest in 15 years during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Mr. Lula will face Mr. Bolsonaro's eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in a presidential election runoff on October 25, after the younger Mr. Bolsonaro performed ‌better than expected in the first round.
The senator pledged in his manifesto ​to strengthen environmental oversight in the Amazon, prioritizing areas under the greatest pressure from deforestation and wildfires. ⁠He said law enforcement would focus on organized crime rather than on extractive ⁠workers and small farmers.
In Brazil's Cerrado savanna, deforestation fell about 24% in the period, to some 5,517 ‌square kilometres, also the lowest on record in a series going back to 2001, Inpe data showed.
Published- October 17, 2026 06:16 am IST
forests/habitat (conservation)/conservation

Brazil's Amazon deforestation hits a record low in the 12 months through July, amid Lula's 2030 target and political pressure.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out. How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America. New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest los…

The El Niño phenomenon threatens positive developments, as it brings drought, which promotes the spread of forest fires.
Trees in Africa's vast Congo Basin are being cut down at a faster rate even as deforestation in other tropical regions slows.
Seven million hectares of forest -- roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland -- were permanently destroyed in 2025, a 15-percent drop from the previous year, according to the annual Forest Declaration Assessment.
The slowdown, however, is not enough to keep the world from missing a pledge to end deforestation by 2030, according to the report, which was drafted by a coalition of research groups and non-governmental organisations.
The 2025 figu…
By 2030, more than 100 states wanted to stop large-scale deforestation. Despite a decline last year, the gap to the target is large. A region is developing particularly critically.
Global deforestation dropped 15 per cent last year to seven million hectares. Still, a new report warns that worsening conditions in Central Africa and…
The post Deforestation Drops Globally, Spikes in Congo appeared first on Latest Breaking News - News Central TV.

Seven million hectares of forest -- roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland -- were permanently destroyed in 2025, a 15-percent drop from the previous year, according to the annual Forest…

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1988, Brazil's government has announced.
Annual loss between August 2025 to July 2026 stood at 3,335 square kilometres, according to official satellite data – down 41.8 per cent from 5,731 square kilometres a year earlier.
It's testament to the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by around 60 per cent, with more than 45,000 square kilometres cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71 per cent since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva – who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress – and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How Brazil's government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidised credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," says Márcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini adds that the deforestation rates announced on 16 October show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
"Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he adds.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40 per cent of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since 4 October, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
NASA scientists caution that official satellite counts may understate the damage: around Santarém, a preliminary analysis found about 40 per cent more fires than standard active-fire data shows. Agency satellite observations revealed a sharp increase in fires and smoke emissions across the central and eastern Amazon beginning in September 2026, fuelled by severe drought linked to El Niño.
Environment Minister Capobianco said officials flying over protected areas saw fires arranged in a geometric pattern, suggesting they were set deliberately, though it is unclear who is responsible. Smoke has closed schools in Manaus, the largest city in the Brazilian Amazon, and residents were urged to wear face masks.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47 per cent of the vote, while Lula received 45 per cent. The two face a 25 October runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
'Historic achievement' following 'sweeping dismantling of environmental policies'
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil says the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she says. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement on Friday (16 October) that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she says.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernising environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.

Deforestation fell almost 42% in a year, but a possible change in president could reverse the trend.

'The formula works': How Brazil brought deforestation to a record-low

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOAAssociated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official…

Deforestation slowed worldwide last year, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern intensifies, a…

PARIS - Deforestation slowed worldwide in 2025, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern intensifies, a new study said on Oct 14.
Seven million hectares of forest – roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland – were permanently destroyed in 2025, a 15% drop from the previous year, according to the annual Forest Declaration Assessment.
The slowdown, however, is not enough to keep the world from missing a pledge to end deforestation by 2030, according to the report, which was drafted by a coalition of research groups and non-governmental organisations.
The 2025 figure is 'encouraging but so far it's the exception, not a new trajectory', Erin Matson, the study's co-author and lead consultant at advisory group Climate Focus, said in a media briefing.
To meet the target, agreed at the United Nations' COP26 climate talks in 2021, deforestation would have to fall by around one million hectares per year.
Clearing forests for agriculture or mining operations remains the leading drivers of deforestation.
2025's improvement was due in part to progress in Latin America, with a 33% drop in what has historically been the world's deforestation 'hot spot', according to the study.
The authors pointed particularly to Brazil's deforestation action plan and increased enforcement in the country's Amazon.
Progress in the region, however, 'rests heavily on the choices of a small number of governments and remains highly vulnerable' to recent and upcoming elections across the Amazon basin.
Brazil's left-wing leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – who has vowed to end illegal deforestation by 2030 – faces populist right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff presidential election on Oct 25.
Deforestation had surged under the administration of Bolsonaro's father, far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Progress could also be threatened in Colombia and Peru, where hard-right presidents were recently elected, according to the experts.
Across the Atlantic in Africa, the situation deteriorated in the Congo basin, where rainforest loss reached 2.4 million hectares – near the same level of deforestation as the Amazon for the first time.
'Losing such a size of forest every year is a disaster,' said Sam Nguiffo, a lawyer and founder of the Centre for Environment and Development in Cameroon.
'As humanity, we clearly cannot afford that because it will be totally irreversible,' he said.
Logging for timber or felling trees for agriculture or mining appear to prevail in forest management in Central Africa, Nguiffo said.
Deforestation has a 'massive impact on the cultural identity and on the livelihood of local and indigenous communities', he said.
'The erosion of the forest, both in size and in number of species, reduces the space available for communities and fuels conflicts,' the lawyer added.
El Nino, the warming phase of a natural climate cycle, also threatens progress because its effects include droughts, creating conditions for wildfires.
The current El Nino event, which emerged in June, is expected to peak later in 2026 but is already shaping up to be the strongest ever observed.
El Nino has been associated with strong drought in Indonesia, where tracts of forest and plantations have been burning in biodiverse Borneo and South Sumatra for months.
'If projections of the historically strong 2026-27 El Nino materialise, drought and fire risks will intensify further across tropical forest regions,' the deforestation report said.
Matson, of Climate Focus, noted that there was a 'huge spike' in tree cover loss during the last 'super' El Nino event in 2015-2016.
'We can't fully predict the future but it's unlikely, I would say, that in 2026 we'll see the same kind of reductions (in deforestation) that we saw last year,' she said. AFP

Seven million hectares of forest – roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland – were permanently destroyed in 2025. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Global deforestation slowed in 2025 but surged in Congo basin: Study

SAO PAULO — Brazil 's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out. Get the latest news delivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
How the government curbed deforestation The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation. Advertisement Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro.
The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups. Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added. Advertisement Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency. Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Advertisement Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff. Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%.
The two face an Oct. 25 runoff. The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target.
Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal. Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it. Advertisement 'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies.
Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it. ' Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.

SAO PAULO — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Brazil's government announces that annual deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 1988 | K-DAWN

The deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen to the lowest level since the beginning of the 1988 records. The government regards the decline as a success of President Lula's protection efforts, which is currently in the election campaign.
The data was hailed by leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who reiterated his goal to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030.
The Brazilian government has released historical data: Amazonia and Cerrado have never recorded so little deforestation. Para, Mato Grosso and Amazonas lead the remaining losses.
In Brazil, the deforestation of the Amazon has fallen to the lowest level in the history of observations, for which the president is praised. In a year, the Amazon deforestation has decreased to 3,335 km², the minimum since 1988. At the same time, there were 253% more fires in the state of Amazonas.
The latest figures show that 3,335 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest were cleared in the year ending in July, the lowest level since 1988. The drop has been described as an "historic achievement."
While deforestation in the Amazon had increased sharply under the mandate of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, for the past four years it has fallen by 71.2% under the presidency of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

BRASILIA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest declined to the lowest level on ​record in the 12 ‌months through July, data released by Brazilian space research agency Inpe…

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon Falls to Lowest on Record in 2025/26

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 on Friday. Some 3,335 square kilometers (1,287.65 square miles) of Amazon jungle were destroyed in the 12 months through July, an all-time low in the historical series that goes back to 1988. It was a fall of ‌about 42% from the preceding period.
The previous lowest level for Brazil's Amazon deforestation was reached in 2011-2012, when ‌4,571 square kilometers were destroyed. In the mid-90s, the figure had reached a record high of nearly 30,000 square kilometers destroyed a year. The data released on Friday, which is produced yearly by Inpe's PRODES satellite monitoring program, is measured from August to July as there ⁠is less ​cloud cover in the middle ⁠of the year to obscure deforestation on satellite images.
"The figures released today are a historic achievement," said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at ⁠climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima, adding they show 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 pledging to end deforestation by 2030, ⁠after it soared to its highest in 15 years during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula will face Bolsonaro's eldest son, Senator ⁠Flavio Bolsonaro, ​in a presidential election runoff on October 25, after the younger Bolsonaro performed better than expected in the first round. The senator pledged in his manifesto to strengthen environmental oversight in the Amazon, prioritizing areas under the greatest ⁠pressure from deforestation and wildfires. He said law enforcement would focus on organized crime rather than on extractive workers and ⁠small farmers.
In Brazil's Cerrado ⁠savanna, deforestation fell about 24% in the period, to some 5,517 square kilometers, also the lowest on record in a series going back to 2001, Inpe data showed.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Read more about Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls to all-time low on Devdiscourse

SAO PAULO(AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Brazil's government announces that annual deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 1988. Official data show the rainforest lost 3,335...

PARIS: Deforestation slowed worldwide last year, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern intensifies, a new study said on Wednesday.
Seven million hectares of forest — roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland — were permanently destroyed in 2025, a 15-percent drop from the previous year, according to the annual Forest Declaration Assessment.
The slowdown, however, is not enough to keep the world from missing a pledge to end deforestation by 2030, according to the report, which was drafted by a coalition of research groups and non-governmental organisations.
The 2025 figure is 'encouraging but so far it's the exception, not a new trajectory', Erin Matson, the study's co-author and lead consultant at advisory group Climate Focus, said in a media briefing. To meet the target, agreed at the United Nations' COP26 climate talks in 2021, deforestation would have to fall by around one million hectares per year.
Clearing forests for agriculture or mining operations remains the leading driver of deforestation. Last year's improvement was due in part to progress in Latin America, with a 33-pc drop in what has historically been the world's deforestation 'hot spot', according to the study. The authors pointed particularly to Brazil's deforestation action plan and increased enforcement in the country's Amazon.
Progress in the region, however, 'rests heavily on the choices of a sm­­all number of governments and re­m­­ains highly vulnerable' to recent and upcoming elections across the Ama­zon basin. Brazil's left-wing leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — who has vowed to end illegal deforestation by 2030 — faces populist right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff presidential election on Oct 25.
Deforestation had surged under the administration of Bolsonaro's father, far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro. Progress could also be threatened in Colombia and Peru, where hard-right presidents were recently elected, according to the experts.
Across the Atlantic in Africa, the situation deteriorated in the Congo basin, where rainforest loss reached 2.4 million hectares — near the same level of deforestation as the Amazon for the first time. 'Losing such a size of forest every year is a disaster,' said Sam Nguiffo, a lawyer and founder of the Centre for Environment and Development in Cameroon.
'As humanity, we clearly cannot afford that because it will be totally irreversible,' he said. Logging for timber or felling trees for agriculture or mining appear to prevail in forest management in Central Africa, Nguiffo said. Deforestation has a 'massive impact on the cultural identity and on the livelihood of local and indigenous communities', he said.
'The erosion of the forest, both in size and in number of species, reduces the space available for communities and fuels conflicts,' the lawyer added.
El Nino effects
El Nino, the warming phase of a natural climate cycle, also threatens progress because its effects include droughts, creating conditions for wildfires. The current El Nino event, which emerged in June, is expected to peak later this year but is already shaping up to be the strongest ever observed. El Nino has been associated with strong drought in Indonesia, where tracts of forest and plantations have been burning in biodiverse Borneo and South Sumatra for months. 'If projections of the historically strong 2026-27 El Nino materialise, drought and fire risks will intensify further across tropical forest regions,' the deforestation report said.
Matson, of Climate Focus, noted that there was a 'huge spike' in tree cover loss during the last 'super' El Nino event in 2015-2016.
Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2026

Seven million hectares of forest — roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland — were permanently destroyed in 2025.

Global deforestation slowed last year, except in Congo basin: study

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has declined to the lowest level on record ‌in the 12 months through July, according to data released by research agency Inpe.
Some ‌3335 sq km of Amazon jungle were destroyed in the 12 months through July, an all-time low in the historical series that goes back to 1988. It was a fall of about 42 per cent from the preceding period.
The previous lowest level for Brazil's Amazon deforestation was reached in 2011-2012, ‌when 4571 ‌sq km were destroyed. ⁠In the mid-1990s, the figure had reached a record high of ​nearly 30,000 sq km destroyed a year.
The data released on Friday, which is produced yearly by Inpe's PRODES satellite monitoring program, is measured from August to July as there is less cloud cover in the middle of the year to obscure deforestation on satellite images.
"The figures released today are a ⁠historic achievement," said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at climate ‌advocacy group ​Observatorio do Clima, adding they show 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 pledging to end deforestation ​by 2030, after it soared to its highest in 15 years during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula will face Bolsonaro's eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in a ​presidential ​election runoff on October 25, after the ​younger Bolsonaro performed better than expected in the first ‌round.
The senator pledged in his manifesto to strengthen environmental oversight in the Amazon, prioritising areas under the greatest pressure from deforestation and wildfires.
In Brazil's Cerrado savanna, deforestation fell about 24 per cent in the period, ​to some 5517 sq km, also the lowest on record in a series going back ​to 2001, Inpe data showed.
Australian Associated Press

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon dropped by 42 per cent between August 2025 and July this year.

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls to record low

Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 1,300 square miles from August 2025 to July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data underscores the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.
During Mr Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 17,400 square miles cleared, according to official data.
Trees in a deforested area of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil (Edmar Barros/AP)
Under Mr Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Mr Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm.
Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Mr Bolsonaro.
Mr Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva, who led the environment ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress, and Joao Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Mr Bolsonaro.
The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss.
It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidised credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Marcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Mr Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced on Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming.
The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years.
A strong El Nin, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
She said: 'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment.
'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'

Brazil's government says deforestation rates in the country's Amazon and savanna regions have fallen to record lows ahead of a presidential election run-off in which the rainforest's future is a key issue.
Left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, when he assumed office three years ago, pledged to end deforestation by 2030 in the Amazon. It had surged under his right-wing predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula will face Bolsonaro's son Flavio in the run-off on 25 October, with polls suggesting a neck-and-neck race. Flavio is expected to continue his father's policies if he wins, though he has pledged to fight organised crime in the Amazon.
Satellite data shows that in the year to July 2026, the deforestation rate fell by 41.8% in the Amazon - the biggest drop since records began in 1988. The fall in the Cerrado, Brazil's savanna region, was 23.8%.
The Amazon rainforest - the world's largest - is a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change and 60% of it is located in Brazil.

Deforestation has steadily declined since Lula took office
Environmental issues expected to be a major point of contention in the election
The area of deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level since satellite monitoring began in 1988.
The Guardian and other British media outlets reported, citing satellite monitoring data released on October 17 (Korea time) by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), that 3,335 sq km of forest in the Amazon was destroyed from August 2025 to July 2026. This was a 41.8% decrease from the 5,731 sq km recorded over the same period a year earlier. The previous record low was 4,571 sq km in 2011-2012.
The area of deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level since 1988. Pixabay
View original image
The results are being attributed to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's restoration of environmental regulations and stepped-up crackdown on illegal logging since taking office. When Lula took office in 2023, he pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2030. His government then restored environmental regulations and enforcement systems that had been weakened under former President Jair Bolsonaro, and resumed policies to curb deforestation.
A key policy revived by the Lula government is the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon (PPCDAm). The plan includes strengthening satellite surveillance and environmental enforcement, imposing sanctions on land where illegal development has taken place, managing protected areas, and supporting sustainable economic activities. Other key measures include increasing staffing and funding for environmental authorities and tightening penalties for environmental crimes such as illegal logging.
Deforestation has steadily declined since Lula took office. According to Brazilian government data, the annual area of deforestation in the Amazon fell by about 71% from 2022 to 2026. During Jair Bolsonaro's administration, before Lula came to power, deforestation surged as environmental regulations and enforcement were weakened. Analysts say it has since begun to decline as the current government shifted its policy approach.
Deforestation also declined in the Cerrado, a tropical savanna region south of the Amazon. Over the same period, 5,517 sq km of vegetation was destroyed in the Cerrado, down about 24% from the previous year. The figure was also the lowest recorded since satellite monitoring data for the region began to be compiled.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Yonhap News Agency
View original image
Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the climate group Climate Observatory, called the figures a historic achievement, saying, "They show that deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions can be curbed when there is political will."
Environmental issues are also expected to be a major point of contention in Brazil's presidential election. Right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, who will face President Lula in the runoff on October 25, is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Concerns have been raised that environmental regulations and enforcement could change if he is elected.
For President Lula, the decline in deforestation is an opportunity to highlight the achievements of his environmental policies. However, he must also secure support from voters who prioritize agricultural and mining development and economic growth. The election is expected to affect not only Brazil's forest conservation policies but also international climate efforts to preserve the Amazon.
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The area of deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level since satellite monitoring began in 1988. The Guardian and othe

Amazon Rainforest Deforestation Hits Lowest Level Since 1988... 'Could It Become a Factor in Brazil's Presidential Election?'

Why the Future of the Amazon Could Depend on Brazil's Election
venezuela
Guyana
French
guiana
colombia
Suriname
Amazon
ecosystem
Atlantic Ocean
Amazon River
ecuador
Amazon rainforest
Deforested
areas
peru
Brazil
Bolivia
Pacific Ocean
Amazon
ecosystem
Deforested
areas
colombia
Amazon rainforest
peru
Brazil
Amazon
ecosystem
venezuela
colombia
Deforested areas
Amazon River
ecuador
Amazon rainforest
peru
Brazil
Bolivia
Pacific
Ocean
Atlantic
Ocean
PARAGUAY
venezuela
Guyana
French
guiana
colombia
Suriname
Amazon
ecosystem
Amazon River
Atlantic Ocean
ecuador
Amazon rainforest
Deforested
areas
peru
Brazil
Bolivia
Pacific Ocean
Amazon ecosystem
inside Brazil
Atlantic Ocean
Amazon River
Amazon rainforest
Deforested
areas
Brazil
Pacific Ocean
Deforested areas
Amazon rainforest
Brazil
Amazon
ecosystem
in Brazil
Deforested areas
Amazon River
Amazon rainforest
Brazil
Amazon
ecosystem
in Brazil
Pacific
Ocean
Atlantic
Ocean
Amazon ecosystem
inside Brazil
Amazon River
Atlantic Ocean
Amazon rainforest
Deforested
areas
Brazil
Bolivia
Pacific Ocean
Deforested under Bolsonaro
3.4 million hectares
(2019-2021)
Deforested under Lula
2.1 million hectares
(2022-2025)
ecuador
Amazon
ecosystem
inside Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Note: Data is for the first three years of each administration.
Deforested under Bolsonaro
3.4 million hectares
(2019-2021)
ecuador
Amazon
ecosystem
in Brazil
Deforested under Lula
2.1 million hectares
(2022-2025)
Deforested under Bolsonaro
3.4 million hectares
(2019-2021)
Deforested under Lula
2.1 million hectares
(2022-2025)
Brazil
Brazil
Amazon ecosystem
inside Brazil
Note: Data is for the first three years of each administration.
Deforested under Bolsonaro
3.4 million hectares
(2019-2021)
Deforested under Lula
2.1 million hectares
(2022-2025)
Amazon
ecosystem
inside Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Note: Data is for the first three years of each administration.
An area 38 times bigger than Los Angeles was deforested during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency
Amazon River
Amazon rainforest
Amazon
ecosystem
inside Brazil
Brazil
An area 38 times bigger than Los Angeles was deforested during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency
Amazon rainforest
Brazil
Amazon
ecosystem
in Brazil
An area 38 times bigger than Los Angeles was deforested during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency
Amazon rainforest
Brazil
Amazon ecosystem
inside Brazil
An area 38 times bigger than Los Angeles was deforested during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency
Amazon River
Amazon rainforest
Amazon ecosystem
inside Brazil
Brazil
Bolivia
Maps highlight deforested areas in the Amazon region, then focuses on deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Subsequently, two maps side by side show that the deforestation footprint under Mr. Bolsonaro's administration was nearly double than under Mr. Lula. A final map shows total deforestation under Mr. Bolsonaro's term was equivalent to 38 times the area of Los Angeles.
About 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been deforested since the 1970s.
A map highlights accumulated deforested areas in the Amazon region since the early 2000s.
Much of that area is in Brazil, which holds about 60 percent of the rainforest.
A map highlights accumulated deforested areas in the Brazilian Amazon deforested between 2002 and 2025.
Deforestation surged under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro but slowed under his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Two maps side by side show that the deforestation footprint under Mr. Bolsonaro's administration was nearly double than under Mr. Lula.
Now Flávio Bolsonaro leads in this month's presidential race. Conservationists fear a return to his father's policies.
A map shows total deforestation under Mr. Bolsonaro's administration.
Flávio Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator and the front runner in next Sunday's presidential runoff, has promised to make it easier to harvest the riches of the Amazon. While he has also promised to end illegal deforestation, many experts worry that he may do so by allowing more trees to be cleared legally. And even as he has pledged tougher policing, Mr. Bolsonaro has signalled that he may weaken agencies safeguarding the Amazon.
Mr. Bolsonaro, a son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, does not believe that climate change is caused by humans and has defended opening up protected lands to mining and farming. His candidacy has been supported by the farm lobby and by members of the economic and political elite who want to see new highways, railroads and oil drilling in the Amazon — projects that research shows would accelerate deforestation.
'The biggest way to address the subject of environmental issues is what we did during the Bolsonaro government,' Mr. Bolsonaro said during his campaign, referring to his father's presidency.
Excited about the possibility of another Bolsonaro in power, the candidate's supporters have already warned Indigenous groups in the Amazon that they plan to invade their lands if he wins the election.
Under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, deforestation in the Amazon has dropped to the lowest level on record, according to Brazil's space agency.
Research shows that, if deforestation continues undeterred, the Amazon could receive dramatically less rainfall and much of the rainforest could gradually start turning into savanna by 2050. This process is 'hard to reverse once set in motion,' said Nico Wunderling, a professor at Goethe University Frankfurt who studies climate change.
The pressure on the forest is largely driven by a global appetite for commodities. Brazil is the world's top exporter of beef and soybeans, which are also the country's two main drivers of deforestation. In recent years, vast stretches of the forest have been turned into pasture for cattle.
Much of the area cleared of forest is used for cattle grazing
Brazilian Amazon
Deforested
areas
Brazilian Amazon
Pasture
Brazilian Amazon
Deforested
areas
Brazilian Amazon
Pasture
Brazilian Amazon
Brazilian Amazon
Deforested
areas
Pasture
Sources: Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (deforestation from 2002 to 2025); Image Processing and Geoprocessing Laboratory of the Federal University of Goiás (pastures).
Mr. Bolsonaro promises to streamline environmental protection and cut red tape, making it easier for miners and ranchers to obtain permits to clear trees.
Under the elder Mr. Bolsonaro, total deforestation rates spiked to nearly 4.6 million hectares, more than 11 million acres. The increased deforestation during his four-year tenure was the equivalent of 5,777 Central Parks — about four parks for each day of his presidency. The rate of loss far exceeded the average in the decade before.
If all those Central Parks were stacked top to bottom, the cleared land would stretch more than 14,000 miles.
5,777 Central Parks
Deforestation under Jair Bolsonaro above the average of the decade preceding his presidency.
Area deforested each year
1.5 million hectares
1
Average
2009-18
0.5
CENTRAL
PARK
2.5
miles
Bolsonaro
2009
2019
2025
0.5 miles
NEW
JERSEY
New York
City
NEW
YORK
5,777 Central Parks aligned top to bottom would cover more than 14,000 miles.
Bering
Strait
New York
CHINA
The path of devastation would run through Alaska, all the way to China.
Area deforested each year
5,777 Central Parks
Deforestation under Jair Bolsonaro above the average of the decade preceding his presidency.
1.5 million hectares
1.00
Average
2009-18
0.50
2.5
miles
CENTRAL
PARK
Bolsonaro
2009
2019
2025
New York City
0.5 miles
NEW
JERSEY
NEW YORK
5,777 Central Parks aligned top to bottom would cover more than 14,000 miles.
Bering
Strait
The path of devastation would run through Alaska,
all the way to China.
New York
U.S.
CHINA
The younger Mr. Bolsonaro has been vague on details about his plans for the Amazon, other than his promise to end illegal deforestation by 2029. While that may seem ambitious, it is in line with Brazil's current goal of ending illegal deforestation by the end of the decade. And experts say the nation must actually push towards ending all deforestation, including the legal clearing of trees.
Under Brazilian law, landowners in the Amazon may remove up to a fifth of the rainforest on their properties. As a senator, Mr. Bolsonaro co-authored a failed bill to lift those limits.
Mr. Lula, a defender of the Paris climate agreement, has strengthened environmental agencies, invested in forest restoration and reduced deforestation to its lowest levels in years, promising to halt it altogether by 2030.
'What we really have to fight for is zero deforestation,' said Carlos Nobre, a Brazilian scientist studying the Amazon and climate change. Legal deforestation, he said, put the Amazon at 'total risk' and could sharply reduce rainfall throughout much of South America, threatening Brazilian agriculture and global food prices. Brazil is the world's second-largest food exporter and could surpass the United States this year. 'We are going to lose all of this,' Mr. Nobre said.
The threats go beyond deforestation. Drug gangs have expanded into the Amazon, having seen weaker policing under the elder Mr. Bolsonaro as an opportunity. They traffic drugs through the rainforest but they have also added illegal logging, wildcat mining and land grabbing to their criminal portfolios. Many observers worry that a victory for the younger Mr. Bolsonaro could embolden these groups to push deeper into the rainforest.
Most of the world's cocaine is produced in three countries neighboring Brazil: Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. But the rainforest's vast river network has become an important means of moving that cocaine to transatlantic markets.
Coca cultivation areas
Atlantic Ocean
COLOMBIA
The Amazon cocaine
route flows mainly
to Europe, Africa and
South America
PERU
BOLIVIA
BRAZIL
Coca cultivation areas
Atlantic Ocean
COLOMBIA
Amazon river
PERU
The Amazon cocaine route
flows mainly to Europe,
Africa and South America
BOLIVIA
BRAZIL
Pacific Ocean
Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Moving drugs in the Amazon is complicated and as gangs establish transit networks they have infiltrated local communities. 'There is a much larger ecosystem of illegal miners, loggers, smugglers, transporters and corrupt middlemen,' said Robert Muggah, from Igarapé Institute, a Brazilian research institute focused on crime. These illicit markets overlap, he added, ultimately driving more deforestation.
Cities where
organized crime
is present
Brazilian Amazon
Cities where
organized crime
is present
Brazilian Amazon
Sources: Brazilian Forum of Public Safety and Instituto Mãe Crioula
Mr. Bolsonaro, an ally of President Trump, has said that he plans to expand monitoring the rainforest with satellites and supports a militarized response to drug gangs, which he wants to designate as terrorist groups. Yet his plans to slash public spending and his proposal to streamline enforcement agencies have raised concerns about weaker oversight.
Rather than military force, the Amazon needs lasting solutions like investment in sustainable jobs and international cooperation to root out organized crime, said Ariadne Natal, a senior researcher at the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, a nonprofit group monitoring crime.
'Once again, we find ourselves at a crossroads,'' Ms. Natal said, 'facing very different paths for how things could play out.'

Flávio Bolsonaro, the front runner in this month's presidential runoff, is a strong advocate of environmental deregulation who has backed policies that scientists say could hurt the rainforest.

The Future of the Amazon Rainforest Could Depend on Brazil's Election

SAO PAULO — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development," he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAO PAULO – Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
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During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Shareholders of the Commonwealth Bank have put deforestation firmly on the bank's agenda, with nearly 16% of votes cast in favour of a deforestation resolution at the bank's AGM in Sydney.
The shareholder resolution, calling on the bank to disclose the steps it will take to become deforestation-free, was facilitated by ACF and SIX and co-filed by Australian Ethical, Ethinvest and 196 shareholders.
It gained the support of 15.92% of shareholder votes, representing more than $40 billion in shares. The result of this vote was not announced by CBA at its AGM, as is usual procedure, which baffled retail and institutional investors at the meeting.
Recent analysis by ACF has linked CBA's loans and mortgages to properties where significant deforestation is occurring, affecting thousands of hectares of land.
Jolene George, ACF's Head of Corporate Advocacy, addressed the AGM, saying a recent disclosure by the bank suggested up to 0.5% of CommBank's total committed exposure - or around 32% of the bank's lending to agricultural customers by ACF's calculations - may be linked to deforestation.
"CBA still cannot tell shareholders whether the deforestation it has identified involves the destruction of threatened species' habitat, whether it is potentially unlawful, or whether it is contributing to erosion and sediment runoff harming the Great Barrier Reef and therefore the economies dependent on that natural treasure.
"These are not peripheral questions. They go directly to the environmental, regulatory, reputational and financial risks the bank needs to understand and manage," she said.
"The impacts from deforestation are almost certainly negative for the vast majority of your customers - perhaps with the exception of those doing the damage to increase their short-term profits.
"On behalf of shareholders I urge the board not to look away from this issue… identifying the risk is an important first step. The next step is to demonstrate how the bank will meaningfully address it."
CBA shareholder Martin Mansfield told the AGM the bank's approach to deforestation had been woefully inadequate. "We cannot continue the way we are. If we do, nature will collapse and, therefore, so will our economy," he said.
Bonnie Graham, Impact and Ethics Analyst at Australian Ethical, said "It's time for CBA to take meaningful action on deforestation. CBA acknowledges the agriculture sector's significant nature related risks yet continues to increase its lending to landholders driving deforestation. This is a contradiction it can no longer afford to ignore, and shareholders have a right to ask for greater transparency and action."

Shareholders of the Commonwealth Bank have put deforestation firmly on the bank's agenda, with nearly 16% of votes cast in favour of a deforestation

Deforestation Risk On Agenda At CommBank

Brazil's Amazon Deforestation Falls To Record Low, Forest Loss Drops 42% | Photo Credit: Canva
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1988, marking a major achievement in the country's efforts to protect the world's largest tropical rainforest. Data released by Brazil's space research agency, Inpe, on Friday, October 16, showed that forest destruction declined by about 42% over the previous 12-month period.
According to the data, around 3,335 square kilometres (1,287.65 square miles) of Amazon rainforest were destroyed between August 2025 and July 2026. This is the lowest figure recorded in nearly four decades of monitoring and signals significant progress in Brazil's fight against deforestation.
Amazon Sees Historic Drop In Forest Loss
The previous record low was reported in 2011-2012, when around 4,571 square kilometres of forest were destroyed. The latest figures show a further decline, particularly when compared with the mid-1990s, when annual deforestation had reached nearly 30,000 square kilometres.
The figures were collected through Inpe's PRODES satellite monitoring programme, which tracks forest destruction every year. The monitoring period runs from August to July because reduced cloud cover in the middle of the year allows satellites to capture clearer images of deforested areas.
Climate Groups Hail Major Achievement
Environmental groups have welcomed the findings, describing them as an important step towards protecting the Amazon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Reuters reports.
'The figures released today are a historic achievement,' said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima. He added that the results show the world that 'with political will, it is possible to curb deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions'.
Lula's Environmental Promise Shows Progress
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office in 2023 with a promise to end deforestation by 2030. His administration followed that of former President Jair Bolsonaro, during whose tenure Amazon deforestation had reached its highest level in 15 years.
The latest decline represents encouraging progress towards Lula's environmental target. However, thousands of square kilometres of forest are still being destroyed, showing that Brazil has more work to do to bring deforestation to an end.
Amazon Protection Enters Election Debate
The findings come at an important political moment for Brazil, with Lula preparing to face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in a presidential election runoff on October 25. Flavio performed better than expected in the first round, setting up a closely watched contest.
In his election manifesto, Flavio promised to strengthen environmental monitoring and enforcement in the Amazon, particularly in areas facing the greatest threats from deforestation and wildfires. He also said law enforcement efforts would target organised crime rather than extractive workers and small farmers.
Cerrado Savanna Also Records Lowest Deforestation
Brazil's progress was not limited to the Amazon. The Cerrado savanna also recorded its lowest deforestation level since monitoring began in 2001, according to Inpe.
Forest and vegetation loss in the Cerrado declined by around 24% to approximately 5,517 square kilometres during the same monitoring period. The decline across both regions is a positive development for Brazil's environmental protection efforts, although continued action will be necessary to sustain these gains.

Brazil's Amazon rainforest deforestation reportedly declined by 42% between August 2025 and July 2026, reaching its lowest recorded level since 1988. Satellite monitoring data attributed to Inpe…

Brazil's Amazon Deforestation Falls To Record Low, Forest Loss Drops 42%

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Submit Correction Δ

A helicopter from Brazil's environmental agency flies over an area of the Amazon rainforest during a wildfire-fighting operation in Autazes, Amazonas state, Brazil, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
SAO PAULO – Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
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During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Colts' Deforest Buckner on loss to Titans: 'Sick and tired of the same song and dance'
Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner discusses the team's 26-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner discusses the team's 26-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Colts' Deforest Buckner on loss to Titans: 'Sick and tired of the same song and dance'

Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out. How the government curbed deforestation The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups. Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added. Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency. Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff. Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%.
The two face an Oct. 25 runoff . The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target.
Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal. Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it. ' Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing . He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them .
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
'Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
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Brazil's government announces that annual deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level since 1988. Official data show the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers from August 2025 through July 2026. This marks a significant reversal from the surge…

7 mn hectares of forest -- roughly the size of Ireland -- were permanently destroyed in 2025
PARIS (FRANCE) - Deforestation slowed worldwide last year, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern intensifies, a new study said on Wednesday.
Seven million hectares of forest -- roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland -- were permanently destroyed in 2025, a 15-percent drop from the previous year, according to the annual Forest Declaration Assessment.
The slowdown, however, is not enough to keep the world from missing a pledge to end deforestation by 2030, according to the report, which was drafted by a coalition of research groups and non-governmental organisations.
The 2025 figure is "encouraging but so far it's the exception, not a new trajectory", Erin Matson, the study's co-author and lead consultant at advisory group Climate Focus, said in a media briefing.
To meet the target, agreed at the United Nations' COP26 climate talks in 2021, deforestation would have to fall by around one million hectares per year.
Clearing forests for agriculture or mining operations remains the leading drivers of deforestation.
Last year's improvement was due in part to progress in Latin America, with a 33-percent drop in what has historically been the world's deforestation "hot spot", according to the study.
The authors pointed particularly to Brazil's deforestation action plan and increased enforcement in the country's Amazon.
- 'Irreversible ' -
Progress in the region, however, "rests heavily on the choices of a small number of governments and remains highly vulnerable" to recent and upcoming elections across the Amazon basin.
Brazil's left-wing leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- who has vowed to end illegal deforestation by 2030 -- faces populist right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff presidential election on October 25.
Deforestation had surged under the administration of Bolsonaro's father, far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Progress could also be threatened in Colombia and Peru, where hard-right presidents were recently elected, according to the experts.
Across the Atlantic in Africa, the situation deteriorated in the Congo basin, where rainforest loss reached 2.4 million hectares -- near the same level of deforestation as the Amazon for the first time.
"Losing such a size of forest every year is a disaster," said Sam Nguiffo, a lawyer and founder of the Centre for Environment and Development in Cameroon.
"As humanity, we clearly cannot afford that because it will be totally irreversible," he said.
Logging for timber or felling trees for agriculture or mining appear to prevail in forest management in Central Africa, Nguiffo said.
Deforestation has a "massive impact on the cultural identity and on the livelihood of local and indigenous communities", he said.
"The erosion of the forest, both in size and in number of species, reduces the space available for communities and fuels conflicts," the lawyer added.
- El Nino effects -
El Nino, the warming phase of a natural climate cycle, also threatens progress because its effects include droughts, creating conditions for wildfires.
The current El Nino event, which emerged in June, is expected to peak later this year but is already shaping up to be the strongest ever observed.
El Nino has been associated with strong drought in Indonesia, where tracts of forest and plantations have been burning in biodiverse Borneo and South Sumatra for months.
"If projections of the historically strong 2026-27 El Nino materialise, drought and fire risks will intensify further across tropical forest regions," the deforestation report said.
Matson, of Climate Focus, noted that there was a "huge spike" in tree cover loss during the last "super" El Nino event in 2015-2016.
"We can't fully predict the future but it's unlikely, I would say, that in 2026 we'll see the same kind of reductions (in deforestation) that we saw last year," she said.

PARIS (FRANCE) - Deforestation slowed worldwide last year, but the improvement is unlikely to last as the situation deteriorates in Central Africa and an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern…

By Simone Iglesias and Augusta Saraiva Bloomberg
Brazil registered the lowest Amazon deforestation rate on record over the past year, allowing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to claim success on a key issue that's been at the center of his platform.
Forest loss plunged 41.8% to the smallest area since satellite monitoring began in 1988, government officials announced in a press conference in Brasilia on Friday. Deforestation fell to 3,335 square kilometers (1,288 square miles) in the 12 months through July, according to data from Brazil's Environment Ministry.
The findings come less than two weeks before Lula will face Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the presidential runoff. Lula has been climbing in the polls after an unexpected first-round win by the right-wing contender.
The decline marks a sharp reversal from the years under former President Jair Bolsonaro - Flávio's father - when deforestation rose to a 15-year high. His administration dismantled the governance structure of the Amazon Fund, which receives global donations for forest conservation, and abandoned a federal anti-deforestation plan that had been a cornerstone of Brazil's efforts to protect the rainforest.
Since returning to power in 2023, Lula has restored regulations, revived the Amazon Fund and strengthened environmental enforcement. His administration targeted illegal mining and land clearing, tightened access to rural credit for properties with environmental violations and created millions of hectares of protected areas from conservation units to Indigenous lands.
The measures have been followed by a steady decline in forest destruction. Amazon deforestation fell 31% in 2024 from the previous year, after dropping more than 20% in 2023.
'Our goal remains to reach zero deforestation by 2030,' Lula said in an X post after the release of the data.
However, this year's record low was announced as fires surge in the Amazon, fueled by El Niño, climate change and human activity. The number of fires in Brazil's Amazonas state has jumped by 253% compared with the same period last year, according to official data. A task force of firefighters has been deployed to bring the blazes under control.
Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco said Friday that there's been progress in containing the fires but arson was getting in the way of further gains. 'We're investigating a possible link between the deliberately set fires and the election,' he said.
The new deforestation data mark a historic achievement, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of Climate Observatory, a network of environmental groups. 'They put Brazil at the forefront of efforts to protect forests and show the world that, with political will, it is possible to curb deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.'
The presidential race has put the future of Brazil's environmental policy in focus. Advocacy groups have warned that a Bolsonaro victory could jeopardize recent gains, pointing to the record of his father's administration and proposals that could weaken environmental oversight.
The findings may also provide the Lula government with some ammunition in its trade negotiations with the US. As part of its year-long Section 301 investigation of Brazil, the US Trade Representative has accused the South American country of historically failing to enforce its legal framework against illegal deforestation, adding this to its list of reasons to justify punitive tariffs on Brazilian goods.

Brazil registered the lowest Amazon deforestation rate on record over the past year, allowing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to claim success on a key issue that's been at the center of his…

Brazil sees record low Amazon deforestation rate in win for lula

The deforestation fell 41.8% in the Amazon and 23.8% in the Cerrado between August 2025 and July 2026, compared to the previous 12 months, according to data released on Friday (16) by the federal government based on the monitoring of the National Institute of Space Research (Inpe). With the fall, the deforestation in the two biomes in a... Read more » The post Deforestation falls 41.8% in the Amazon and 23.8% in the Cerrado in one year appeared …
Prodes estimates areas of 3,335 km2 and 5,516.69 km2, respectively, in the 2 biomes. Read on Power360.
The deforestation in the Amazon and the Cerrado reached the lowest level of the historical series in the accumulated of the last 12 months, according to data from the
Deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado records the lowest historical levels, with falls of 41.8% and 23.8%, according to data from Inpe.

The deforestation fell 41.8% in the Amazon and 23.8% in the Cerrado between August 2025 and July 2026, compared to the previous 12 months, according to data released on Friday (16) by the federal…

Deforestation Falls 41.8% in the Amazon and 23.8% in the Cerrado in One Year

A helicopter from Brazil's environmental agency flies over an area of the Amazon rainforest during a wildfire-fighting operation in Autazes, Amazonas state, Brazil, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026.
Edmar Barros/AP Photo/Edmar Barros
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
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During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
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Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
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Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
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Article continues below this ad
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
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'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
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___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Sao Paulo: Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law," said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
" Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff. Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while Lula received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said the record low deforestation rate reflects effective policies that could be at risk depending on who wins the presidential election.
'Congress has worked to weaken, delay and dismantle laws and regulations that help protect the environment,' she said. 'The next legislature will be even more hostile to environmental protection, and depending on the next federal administration, the risk of rollbacks and high deforestation rates will rise sharply.'
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said. 'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them. 'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
Also Read:

Satellite data showed rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometres (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.

Brazil Says Amazon Deforestation Fell To The Lowest Level Since 1988

Since 2023, actions to combat deforestation in the Amazon and the Cerrado have avoided the destruction of 3.25 million hectares of native vegetation, which resulted directly in a reduction of 1.16 GtCO2 (carbon gas gigatonelates) in greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, according to data released today by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. The deforestation area in the Amazon recorded 3,335 km2 this year, being the lowest in t…
Rio de Janeiro/Madrid.- Between August 2025 and last July, 3,335 kilometers of the Brazilian Amazon were destroyed, 41.8 % less than a year earlier, which is the lowest level of deforestation since they began to make satellite measurements, in 1988, according to data disseminated by the Government. [...] The entry Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon falls to its lowest level in almost 40 years was first published in EFE Verde.
Brazil's Amazon deforestation fell 41.8% in the year to July 2026, the biggest drop since 1988, ahead of the Lula-Bolsonaro presidential run-off on 25 October.

Brazil's Amazon deforestation fell 41.8% in the year to July 2026, the biggest drop since 1988, ahead of the Lula-Bolsonaro presidential run-off on 25 October.

Brazil Reports Record Drop in Amazon Deforestation Before

A helicopter from Brazil's environmental agency flies over an area of the Amazon rainforest during a wildfire-fighting operation in Autazes, Amazonas state, Brazil, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Official satellite data showed the rainforest lost 3,335 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) from Aug. 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate.
The data released Friday underscore the success of Brazil's renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
During Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said.
One of Lula's first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bolsonaro.
Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out.
How the government curbed deforestation
The plan has four pillars: strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation.
Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to fight environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.
'The formula is always the same, and it works. We saw it work in Brazil years ago and we're seeing it again now: determination, enforcement on the ground, fighting crime and enforcing the law,' said Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian network of environmental groups.
Astrini added that the deforestation rates announced Friday show that Brazil's pledge to reach zero deforestation by 2030 is achievable without compromising the country's economy.
' Agriculture has been setting production and export records while deforestation has fallen. Today's figures disprove the false narrative that protecting the environment holds back Brazil's development,' he added.
Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil's largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.
New president could determine future of the Amazon
Despite progress curbing deforestation, the Amazon faces threats from climate change, proposed legislation and a possible change in Brazil's presidency.
Degradation from wildfires, logging and drought affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. A strong El Niño, a periodic warming of the equatorial Pacific, could intensify those threats in 2026 and 2027 by bringing hotter, drier conditions that fuel wildfires.
Fire counts across the biome were near historic lows this year but have tripled since Oct. 4, when Brazilians voted in the first round of national elections. Authorities are investigating whether fires were deliberately set for political reasons ahead of this month's presidential runoff.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, won 47% of the vote, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received 45%. The two face an Oct. 25 runoff.
The candidates offer sharply different visions for the rainforest. Climate and conservation experts warn that a Bolsonaro victory could reverse policies to curb deforestation. He has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil's current target. Lula's reelection pledge goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, with restoration offsetting all forest loss, legal or illegal.
Former Minister Silva said in a statement Friday that the deforestation reduction was a 'historic achievement' for the Brazilian people and that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it.
'Jair Bolsonaro's administration approached environmental protection and climate change with denial and a sweeping dismantling of environmental policies. Flávio has inherited those views and practices and intends to perpetuate them, as he has indicated on several occasions,' she said.
'Those who deny the problem exists will certainly do nothing to address it.'
Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing. He has called for modernizing environmental laws, which many environmentalists interpret as weakening them.
'Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,' his campaign said.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Global Deforestation

This section is intended to collect data on the current status of global deforestation. This is accomplished through the utilization of APIs, databases, news sources, MapBuilders, and academic journals.

Global forest loss map