{
  "id": 16042819,
  "title": "Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon and Cerrado savanna at lowest rate ever recorded",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/deforestation-in-brazils-amazon-and-cerrado-savanna-at-lowest-rate",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T12:33:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mongabay",
    "slug": "mongabay",
    "url": "https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/10/deforestation-in-brazils-amazon-and-cerrado-savanna-at-lowest-rate-ever-recorded/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As Brazilians cast their votes in a runoff election, a new report from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reveals that the country has achieved its lowest deforestation rates in both the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna since satellite monitoring began in 1988. Incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is credited for this environmental milestone.\n\nDeforestation in the Amazon dropped to 3,335 square kilometers (1,288 square miles) between August 2025 and July 2026, marking a 42% decrease from the previous year and the lowest rate ever recorded. This is a stark contrast to the peak of deforestation under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in 2021, when nearly 13,200 km2 (5,097 mi2) of forest was cleared. The 2025-26 figure represents less than one-fifth of the amount cleared during Bolsonaro's tenure.\n\nClimate scientist Carlos Nobre of the University of São Paulo expressed optimism about the findings, stating that this represents the lowest deforestation in the Amazon since the military dictatorship heavily deforested the region in the mid-1970s. Brazil was governed by a military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985, and there were no annual deforestation records kept during that period.\n\nThe Cerrado, Brazil's other main agricultural savanna, also recorded its lowest deforestation level in the same period since monitoring began in 2001. This indicates a positive trend in environmental conservation efforts across Brazil's crucial biomes.",
  "summary": "As Brazilians head to the polls to vote in a runoff election, Amazon deforestation is also on the ballot. New data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) find that incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva presided over the lowest deforestation levels ever recorded in both the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna. Between […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Deforestation in Amazon down 42% to 3,335 km2 (1,288 mi2) in 2025-26",
    "Lowest deforestation in Amazon since 1970s military dictatorship era",
    "Cerrado also recorded lowest deforestation level since monitoring began in 2001"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The drastic reduction in forest clearing across these two vital biomes signals a major shift in environmental policy that reverses the destructive land-use trends seen during the previous administration.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Semafor",
        "title": "Brazil's energy course may hold after election, but Amazon at risk",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/brazils-energy-course-may-hold-after-election-but-amazon-at-risk",
        "published": "2026-10-22T13:51:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}