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The National Institute for Space Research reported that forest clearance in the Brazilian Amazon totaled 3,335 square kilometres from August 2025 through July 2026. That figure represents a 41.8 percent decline from the previous 12-month period and the smallest annual loss since the Prodes satellite monitoring system began in 1988. The new low undercuts the prior record by 1,236 square kilometres, according to INPE data, and comes after a 71.2 percent slowdown in deforestation rates since 2022 when the current administration took office.
Stronger enforcement actions and increased resources for environmental agencies have driven the reductions, the Brazilian government stated. A Carbon Brief assessment published last month found that policies under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have avoided the loss of at least 20,000 square kilometres of Amazon forest since he returned to power in 2023. During the preceding four years under Jair Bolsonaro, annual deforestation had risen about 60 percent from earlier levels, government records show.
Pará state accounted for 33.9 percent of this year’s Amazon deforestation, followed by Mato Grosso at 25.5 percent and Amazonas at 15.7 percent, INPE figures show. The environment ministry noted that the overall trend reflects revived federal action plans and restrictions on credit for properties with illegal clearing. Preliminary alerts from the DETER system had already pointed to continued declines through much of the period, the institute added.
The data arrives with a presidential runoff set for Oct. 25 between Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds views on the rainforest similar to those of his father. Lula has committed to ending net deforestation by 2030, while his challenger has called for faster development in the region, according to campaign statements reviewed by multiple outlets. Fire detections across the Amazon have tripled since the first-round vote on Oct. 4, a government monitoring update indicated.
Former environment minister Marina Silva described the reduction as a “historic achievement for the Brazilian people” in a statement on Friday and added that the election outcome would be crucial to sustain it. Climate Observatory executive director Márcio Astrini said the results disprove any notion that environmental protection harms economic growth, according to a briefing issued this week. Independent analyses from groups such as MapBiomas have aligned with the official downward trajectory in recent years.
The trend builds on earlier progress that halved deforestation rates between 2022 and 2025, Reuters reporting on prior INPE releases showed. Brazil’s commitments include hosting follow-up international climate talks and maintaining pledges under global accords, a foreign ministry overview stated. Officials have cautioned that sustained enforcement will remain necessary to lock in the gains amid pressures from agriculture and mining interests.
