World
Brazil reports record-low Amazon forest loss in annual survey
The estimate covers August 2025–July 2026; it does not measure October’s fires.
By NewsCubby Editorial Desk · Published
Brazil’s environment ministry reported that annual forest loss in the Legal Amazon fell to an estimated 3,335 square kilometers, the lowest level in the monitoring series that began in 1988. The October 16 release puts the decline at 41.8% from the preceding annual rate of 5,731 square kilometers.
The Prodes reporting year runs from August 2025 through July 2026. The Amazon figure is an estimate based on priority satellite images; the consolidated rate using all images follows the next year. The ministry separately reported a 23.8% decline in the Cerrado.
Forest clearing and fire are different measurements. October fires fall outside this survey year, and fire can severely damage vegetation without all affected land being classified as deforested. A lower annual clearing estimate therefore does not establish that current fire danger has disappeared.
Photo: Antonio Campoy / CC BY 2.0. Amazon rainforest in Amazonas, Brazil, April 2,2015. Archival context, not a current satellite survey. Photo resized and placed in an original NewsCubby layout.