In the past 12 months, the Amazon rainforest lost 4,300 square kilometers (about 1,700 square miles) of land, which is roughly the size of Rhode Island. This represents a nearly 46% decrease compared to the previous year. Brazil’s deforestation monitoring period runs from August 1 to July 30.
**In Short:**
– Deforestation in the Amazon slowed by nearly 46% compared to the previous year.
– In the past 12 months, the Amazon lost 4,300 square kilometers (about 1,700 square miles) of land, roughly the size of Rhode Island.
– These preliminary figures are from the Deter satellite system, managed by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research.
– This is the largest reduction in deforestation since 2016, when the current measurement method began.
– The official deforestation figures are usually updated in November.
Since the end of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s rule in 2022, Amazon deforestation has sharply declined. Under Bolsonaro, deforestation reached a 15-year high. Despite this improvement, much work remains to halt the destruction. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has committed to achieving “deforestation zero” by 2030, with his current term ending in January 2027.
The Amazon, which covers an area twice the size of India, makes up about two-thirds of the rainforest and plays a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide, helping to slow climate change. It also contains about 20% of the world’s fresh water and an immense level of biodiversity, including at least 16,000 tree species, much of which remains unexplored by scientists.
In contrast, deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado, a vast savannah, increased by 9%. Native vegetation loss in the Cerrado reached 7,015 square kilometers (2,708 square miles), which is 63% more than the destruction in the Amazon. The Cerrado is the world’s most biodiverse savannah but has less protected status compared to the Amazon. The expansion of soybean cultivation, Brazil’s second-largest export, has contributed significantly to the loss in the Cerrado.
