Under Lula, Amazon deforestation falls to lowest level in a decade

The figures come months before Brazil’s presidential election, with Lula promising to end illegal deforestation by 2030.

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level in a decade during the first half of 2026, 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.

From January to June, an estimated 1,295 square kilometres (500 square miles) of forest were cleared in the Brazilian Amazon, a 38 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 2016.

In recent years, deforestation in Brazil reached a peak around 2022, under Lula’s far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. That year saw the clearing of an area 13 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 2022 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 2030.

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 2022 election results. Bolsonaro has since been sentenced to 27 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 2030. 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 2003 to 2011.

In October’s presidential race, the 80-year-old is likely to face Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who has emerged as the main challenger on the right.