Amazon deforestation falls to its lowest level since records began in 1988

Between August 2025 and July 2026, 3,335 square kilometres of the Brazilian Amazon were cleared — a fall of nearly 42% in a single year, and the lowest level since official satellite records began in 1988. The figures, from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, show deforestation has dropped 71.2% cumulatively over four years, credited to greater monitoring and stiffer penalties for illegal logging. The Cerrado savanna to the south also recorded its lowest losses since records began there in 2001, down almost 24% in a year. 'It's an absolutely stratospheric drop... it's like a dream,' said Environment Minister Joao Paulo Capobianco. The Climate Observatory network called it a historic victory.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: policy reform