Brazil’s Amazon Deforestation Falls To Record Low, Forest Loss Drops 42%
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,…
Brazil's rainforest deforestation has reached a historic low, with forest loss decreasing by a staggering 42% over the last year. According to data released by Brazil's space research agency, Inpe, around 3,335 square kilometres (1,287.65 square miles) of the Amazon rainforest were destroyed between August 2025 and July 2026. This marks the lowest level of deforestation since records began in 1988, and a significant improvement from the previous record low of 4,571 square kilometres in 2011-2012.
The decline is particularly impressive when compared to the mid-1990s, when annual deforestation had reached nearly 30,000 square kilometres. The data was collected through Inpe's PRODES satellite monitoring programme, which has been tracking forest destruction every year since 2015. Environmental groups have hailed the achievement as a major step towards protecting the Amazon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to end deforestation by 2030, and the latest figures suggest he is making progress towards that goal. However, while the Amazon and Cerrado savanna both saw reductions in deforestation, thousands of square kilometres of forest are still being destroyed, indicating that more work is needed to fully eradicate deforestation in Brazil.
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