Planet Earth, Brazil Election: Amazon Deforestation Hits Record Low

Record declines reported

Brazilian government figures show the Amazon deforestation rate fell 41.8% in the year to July 2026, the largest decline since records began in 1988. In the Cerrado, the country’s savanna region, the rate dropped 23.8%.

The figures come before the presidential run-off on 25 October. The article describes the contest as neck-and-neck and identifies the rainforest’s future as a key campaign issue.

Candidates and forest policy

Left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged, on taking office three years ago, to end Amazon deforestation by 2030. His predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, promoted mining in Indigenous lands, while forest clearances rose and forest-protection resources were cut.

Lula reversed Bolsonaro’s policies and deforestation fell to a six-year low in Lula’s first year in office. His government tightened environmental monitoring and penalties for illegal logging. Lula wrote on X that the goal is “zero illegal deforestation by 2030.”

Why the Amazon matters

The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest, and 60% of it lies in Brazil. Tropical rainforests shelter millions of species and, when healthy, absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide that warms the planet.

The forests face pressure from decades of land clearance for agriculture and logging. Climate change can also create conditions for wildfires, scientists warn.

Reactions to the figures

During Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, from 2019 to 2022, the Amazon lost nearly 60% more forest than in the previous four years, according to AFP, citing official data. Environment Minister Joao Paulo Capobianco called the decline in Amazon deforestation “absolutely stratospheric.” Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima, called it a “historic achievement” and said it showed political will could curb deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.