Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached its lowest level since 2018 in January and February

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached its lowest level in six years during the January-February period, according to a report published Monday March 18 by the Imazon institute. In the first two months of 2024, 196 km2 were deforested in the largest rainforest on the planet, a 63% reduction compared to the same period last year (523 km2). But this surface area is still equivalent to around 327 football fields per day, warns Imazon, which publishes a monthly report showing the data from its Deforestation Alert System (SAD). In February, this institute observed a reduction in deforestation over one year for the eleventh consecutive month.

Three of the nine states of the Brazilian Amazon (Matogrosso, Roraima and Amazonas) alone concentrated 77% of deforested areas over the January-February period, or 152 km2. According to Imazon, deforestation in Roraima has reached indigenous lands, including the Yanomami reserve, the largest in Brazil, as large as Portugal. The Yanomami people have been experiencing a serious health crisis for several years, due to the intrusions of illegal gold miners who are destroying the forest and polluting the rivers with mercury.

The government of left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in office since January 2023, has committed to eradicating illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030, which had increased sharply under the mandate of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022). According to official government figures, taken from data collected by satellites of the Space Research Institute (INPE), deforestation in the Amazon fell by half last year compared to 2022.