Lula Hails Lowest Deforestation Rate in Decade Amid Amazon Renewal

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is hailing the lowest deforestation rate in a decade as “fantastic”.

The data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) shows that around 2,874 square kilometers were deforested between August 2025 and July 2026, which is about 36 percent less than the previous year.

Lula's administration has made environmental protection a priority, aiming to reduce deforestation to zero by 2030. The Amazon rainforest plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change as it absorbs CO2.

The MapBiomas monitoring initiative also reported a significant decline in forest fires in the region last year, with approximately 3.1 million hectares affected, which is about 80 percent fewer than the previous year.