AGUA CLARA, Brazil - Brazil has reported a 30.6% decrease in forest loss in the Amazon rainforest compared to the previous year, marking the lowest level of destruction in nine years. In the last 12 months, the Amazon lost 6,288 square kilometers (2,428 square miles), comparable to the size of Delaware.
This announcement was made at Brazil's presidential palace and stands in stark contrast to the policies of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whose administration saw deforestation reach a 15-year high due to a focus on agribusiness and weakened environmental protections.
Additionally, deforestation in the Cerrado, Brazil's biodiverse savannah, has decreased by 25.7%, with an area of 8,174 square kilometers (3,156 square miles) destroyed. This marks the first decline in five years.
Despite these positive developments, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government faces criticism from environmentalists for supporting projects that may threaten the Amazon, including highway construction, oil drilling, and a railway for soy transport.
The current deforestation monitoring system tracks data from August 1 to July 30, meaning the recent surge in forest fires due to a historic drought is not yet reflected in the statistics. Officials are concerned that the deforestation rate may rise again as the city of Belem prepares to host the upcoming U.N. climate talks, COP30.
The Amazon rainforest, which spans an area twice the size of India, is crucial for carbon dioxide storage and biodiversity, housing about 20% of the world’s fresh water and 16,000 known tree species.