The key facts

  • Amazon deforestation amounted to 3,335 sq km over the year — the lowest since 1988, a drop of 41.8%.
  • In the Cerrado savanna, deforestation fell by 23.8% (BBC data).
  • Lula reaffirmed the goal of zero illegal deforestation by 2030; the election is on 25 October.

Lowest figure since 1988

Brazil's space research agency Inpe published data on Friday showing that between August 2025 and July 2026, 3,335 sq km (1,288 sq miles) of forest were cleared in the Amazon. This is the lowest level since record-keeping began in 1988 and a drop of nearly 42% compared with last year's figure of 5,731 sq km. According to the BBC, the 41.8% decline was the largest in the entire history of observations. In the Cerrado savanna, deforestation fell by 23.8%.

Reaction of officials and environmentalists

Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco, at a press conference in Brasília, called the decline 'absolutely stratospheric' and added that it was 'like a dream'. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in a post on X, reaffirmed the goal of achieving zero illegal deforestation by 2030. Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the climate organization Observatorio do Clima, called the figures 'a historic achievement' and said they show the world that 'with political will, it is possible to stop the chainsaws and curb greenhouse gas emissions'. In the organization's view, the result was the consequence of the government's sustained commitment to environmental protection, including enhanced monitoring and tougher penalties for illegal deforestation.

Political context

The news was published ahead of the second round of the presidential election on 25 October, in which Lula will face conservative senator Flávio Bolsonaro; according to polls, the candidates are running neck and neck. The BBC notes that Flávio is expected to continue the policies of his father Jair Bolsonaro if he wins, although he has pledged to fight organized crime in the Amazon. Lula, who took office three years ago, promised to halt Amazon deforestation by 2030; under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022), deforestation rose sharply — according to AFP, citing official statistics, the Amazon lost almost 60% more forest than in the previous four years. Lula reversed Bolsonaro's policies, tightened environmental monitoring and fines, and already in his first year in office deforestation fell to a six-year low.

The importance of the Amazon

The Amazon is the world's largest tropical forest, with about 60% located in Brazil; the forest also extends into Peru, Colombia and other South American countries. Tropical forests are home to millions of species and, when healthy, absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide. However, decades of land clearing for agriculture, logging, and climate change — which, scientists warn, is creating conditions for fires — are pushing the ecosystem toward a climate tipping point.