Deforestation in Amazon forest at its lowest level since 2016: Brazil govt

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest slowed by nearly half compared to the year before, according to government satellite data released Wednesday. It's the largest reduction since 2016, when officials began using the current method of measurement.

In the past 12 months, the Amazon rainforest lost 4,300 square kilometers (1,700 square miles), an area roughly the size of Rhode Island. That's a nearly 46% decrease compared to the previous period. Brazil's deforestation surveillance year runs from August 1 to July 30.

Still, much remains to be done to end the destruction and the month of July showed a 33% increase in tree cutting over July 2023. A strike by officials at federal environmental agencies contributed to this surge, said Joo Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary for the Environment Ministry, during a press conference in Braslia.

The figures are preliminary and come from the Deter satellite sytem, managed by the National Institute for Space Research and used by ...