Brazil Amazon deforestation alerts drop 35% in June 2026, reaching 20‑year low

The Real‑Time Deforestation Detection System (Deter) recorded 1,233 alerts covering 297.26 km² in June 2026, a 35 % decline in alerts and a 38 % reduction in area compared with June 2025 (1,238 alerts, 457.61 km²). This represents the smallest area of Amazon native‑vegetation loss in two decades and continues a downward trend that began in 2023.

Across the 11‑month monitoring period (August 2025 – June 2026) the Amazon recorded 2,485.9 km² cleared, a 37.2 % drop from the same span a year earlier. The Cerrado biome also showed declines, with June’s cleared area falling 5 % to 481.52 km², although the number of alerts rose to 2,880.

For the first half of 2026 the total Amazon loss was 1,295 km², a 38 % year‑on‑year decrease and the lowest six‑month total since 2016. President Luiz Inácio Lula’s government attributes the decline to reinforced anti‑deforestation policies, higher penalties and restored funding for enforcement, citing the figures ahead of Brazil’s October elections and in response to U.S. trade‑tariff claims.