Amazon deforestation reaches 41-year low under Lula
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In 2025, the Amazon region recorded its lowest level of deforestation since 1985, with 693,000 hectares lost.
The MapBiomas organization reported that 92% of this deforestation, 639,000 hectares, occurred in primary forest, while the remainder affected secondary growth. Between 1985 and 2025, the Amazon lost 54.7 million hectares of native vegetation as land use for agriculture and livestock expanded by 440%. Pastureland accounted for the initial use in 77% of deforestation cases.
Agricultural areas grew from 161,000 hectares in 1985 to 8.6 million hectares in 2025, with soybean cultivation increasing from 1,400 to 7 million hectares over the same period. The Amacro region, encompassing municipalities in Amazonas, Acre, and Rondônia states, experienced a 16% reduction in native vegetation since 1985, a loss of about 7 million hectares.
Agricultural activity around protected areas grew 561% since 1985, now covering 31% of the buffer zone, and occupies 40.2% of land within five kilometers of roads.
