Overview
- Official INPE satellite data released on Friday show 1,295 square kilometres of Amazon forest were cleared from January through June 2026, a roughly 38 percent decline from the same period in 2025.
- Researchers and campaigners attribute the drop to Lula’s relaunch of an anti-deforestation plan and tougher enforcement and penalties against illegal land clearing.
- The Cerrado savanna also registered a fall in clearing, with 3,142 square kilometres removed in the first half of 2026, the lowest level there since 2021.
- Environmental groups have welcomed the figures but criticized the government’s support for a proposed oil-exploration project near the mouth of the Amazon River.
- The new data are likely to shape the October presidential race by giving President Lula a record to cite while opponents press for development policies and international partners consider trade and tariff responses tied to deforestation.