Amazon Deforestation Drops 11%, But Fires Pose New Threat to Forests

Brazil is heading into next month’s COP30 climate summit in Belém with promising news on Amazon deforestation—and a troubling caveat about wildfires. New government data shows deforestation in Brazil’s Legal Amazon region fell 11% over the past year, reaching its lowest levels since 2014.

According to Brazil’s space research institute INPE, forest clearing totaled 5,796 square kilometers in the 12 months ending July 31, 2025—down from 6,518 square kilometers the previous year. The neighboring Cerrado savanna ecosystem also saw an 11.5% drop in deforestation to 7,235 square kilometers, marking a six-year low. Independent monitoring by Brazilian NGO Imazon confirmed similar trends.

The decline represents a dramatic reversal from Brazil’s previous administration, when forest protections were weakened and deforestation soared. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s renewed environmental policies have helped restore the downward trend in forest clearing that characterized his earlier presidency from 2003 to 2011.

However, experts warn that while traditional deforestation from farming has decreased, forest fires now pose an escalating threat. The nature of forest loss is shifting as degradation from selective logging, road construction, and increasingly hot, dry conditions make remaining forests more vulnerable to wildfires. This emerging challenge suggests that while Brazil has made significant progress in curbing deliberate forest clearing, protecting the Amazon from fire-related destruction will require new strategies as climate change intensifies.