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The figures come months before Brazil’s presidential election, with Lula promising to end illegal deforestation by ۲۰۳۰.
Published On ۱۰ Jul ۲۰۲۶
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level in a decade during the first half of ۲۰۲۶, according to official government figures.
Friday’s statistics mark a milestone in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s efforts to curb the destruction of the world’s largest rainforest.
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From January to June, an estimated ۱,۲۹۵ square kilometres (۵۰۰ square miles) of forest were cleared in the Brazilian Amazon, a ۳۸ percent drop compared with the same period last year, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). It was also the lowest overall decrease since ۲۰۱۶.
In recent years, deforestation in Brazil reached a peak around ۲۰۲۲, under Lula’s far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. That year saw the clearing of an area ۱۳ times the size of New York City.
Bolsonaro had advocated for “sustainable development” and mining in the Amazon, though critics say he allowed for greater environmental destruction, as well as the erosion of Indigenous rights in the region.
In the ۲۰۲۲ presidential race, Lula defeated Bolsonaro in part by pledging to protect Brazil’s environmental resources. He also reaffirmed Brazil’s commitment to end illegal deforestation by ۲۰۳۰.
During Lula’s first year back in office, Brazil’s deforestation rate dropped by half and has continued to go down.
But Lula has faced scrutiny for his environmental record overall, with critics blasting his government for authorising expanded oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon River.
The left-wing Lula has also navigated tensions with the right-wing government of United States President Donald Trump, a supporter of Bolsonaro.
Trump vocally opposed the prosecution of Bolsonaro last year on charges of seeking to overturn Brazil’s ۲۰۲۲ election results. Bolsonaro has since been sentenced to ۲۷ years in prison.
In June, Trump officials proposed a new round of tariffs on Brazil, citing unfair trading practices and illegal deforestation among its reasons.
But Lula’s government has pointed to the latest deforestation data as undermining the Trump administration’s claims.
“They don’t understand the work we are doing to bring deforestation down to zero by ۲۰۳۰. This is not a decision by any COP or by the United Nations,” Lula said, using the acronym for the Conference of Parties, involved in the UN’s climate change initiative. “It is a decision of our government.”
Researchers have credited Brazil with playing a major role in last year’s overall drop in global rainforest loss. Brazil’s declines came as Lula relaunched an anti-deforestation action plan and increased penalties for environmental crimes.
As the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon absorbs enormous amounts of carbon and helps regulate the global climate, with scientists and environmental groups closely monitoring deforestation, which is also the leading driver of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Lula is currently campaigning for his fourth non-consecutive term as president; previously, he served two terms from ۲۰۰۳ to ۲۰۱۱.
In October’s presidential race, the ۸۰-year-old is likely to face Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who has emerged as the main challenger on the right.
