Environment Deforestation in the Amazon region falls to nine-year low

According to government figures, Brazil's Amazon region has recently seen the lowest level of deforestation in nine years. Deforestation fell by 30.6 percent in the twelve months from August 2023, according to the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).

During this period, 6288 square kilometers of forest were destroyed - "the lowest result in the last nine years," explained Inpe Director Gilvan Oliveira on Wednesday.

The Amazon rainforest stretches across nine countries, most of which are in Brazil. It is one of the few remaining large primeval forests in the world and is home to more plant and animal species than any other place on earth. With its billions of trees, it is also a particularly important CO2 reservoir for the global climate. Over the last century, around 20 percent of the total area of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed.a

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had announced that he would put an end to illegal deforestation by 2030. Under Lula's ultra-right-wing predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation had increased significantly.

SDA