The Brazilian Amazon recorded its lowest deforested area in nine years, according to data presented by the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who promises to completely end the destruction of the rainforest.
Data and Results
Deforestation fell by 30.6% between August 2023 and July 2024, with 6,288 square kilometers of native vegetation destroyed, the lowest result in the last nine years of monitoring. Government actions prevented the destruction of more than 7,900 km² of tropical forest.
Inpe also reported a 25.7% reduction in Cerrado deforestation, with a loss of vegetation of 8,174 km², the lowest since 2019.
Causes and Consequences
The destruction in the Amazon and the Cerrado is mainly due to the expansion of land for agriculture and livestock. Both biomes also suffered a historic drought that favored the spread of devastating fires.
Sustainability Objectives
Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, celebrated the record of the smallest deforested area in 9 years as part of Brazil’s objectives to reduce carbon emissions. In the last two years, CO₂ emissions in both biomes have decreased by 400 million tons.
Minister Marina Silva and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin.
Challenges and Future
Mariana Napolitano, strategy director in Brazil for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), highlighted that the reduction in deforestation is positive but must be maintained and accelerated, especially in the Amazon, which is heading towards a point of no return, losing its regenerative capacity. Lula committed to ending illegal deforestation in Brazil by 2030.
These actions contrast with the lenient environmental policy of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), who opposed the creation of new indigenous reserves and natural parks and depleted the staff responsible for enforcing regulations.
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