Brazil sees record fall in Amazon deforestation as key election looms

Brazil's government says deforestation rates in the country's Amazon and savanna regions have fallen to record lows ahead of a presidential election run-off in which the rainforest's future is a key issue.

Left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, when he assumed office three years ago, pledged to end deforestation by 2030 in the Amazon. It had surged under his right-wing predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula will face Bolsonaro's son Flavio in the run-off on 25 October, with polls suggesting a neck-and-neck race. Flavio is expected to continue his father's policies if he wins, though he has pledged to fight organised crime in the Amazon.

Satellite data shows that in the year to July 2026, the deforestation rate fell by 41.8% in the Amazon - the biggest drop since records began in 1988. The fall in the Cerrado, Brazil's savanna region, was 23.8%.

The Amazon rainforest - the world's largest - is a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change and 60% of it is located in Brazil.