Brazil: Amazon deforestation at 40-year low

Deforestation rates in Brazil's Amazon and savanna regions have fallen to record lows, according to the government. Satellite data indicates that in the year leading up to July 2026, the Amazon deforestation rate dropped by 41.8% to 3,335 square kilometres, marking the largest decrease since records began in 1988. The Times of India reports this is a significant drop from the previous year's figure of 5,731 square kilometres. Additionally, the BBC reports that deforestation in the Cerrado savanna region fell by 23.8%.

These environmental shifts come ahead of a presidential election run-off on 25 October, where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva faces Flávio Bolsonaro. Lula has pledged to end Amazon deforestation by 2030, a goal that follows a period where forest clearances increased under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. France 24 notes that Lula is bolstering his environmental record just over a week before the second round of the election.

While Flávio is expected to continue his father's policies if he wins, the BBC reports he has pledged to fight organized crime in the Amazon.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Times of India, BBC News, BBC World, BBC Science — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.