SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Deforestation operations in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest fell by half in 2023 compared to the previous year to reach their lowest level since 2018, according to government data released on Friday.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in power for a year, has pledged to fight deforestation, which accelerated during the mandate of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, and to end illegal deforestation activities by to 2030.
According to preliminary satellite data from the space research agency INPE, 5,153 square kilometers were deforested in the Amazon in 2023, a decrease of 49.9% compared to 2022.
This is an area more than six times the size of New York City, underscoring the difficulties faced by Lula in keeping his promise, but it is the lowest figure since 2018, the year preceding the entry into office of Jair Bolsonaro.
For the month of December alone, INPE data showed that deforestation fell 23% year-on-year to 176.8 square kilometers.
Brazil’s Environment Ministry said the good figures were due to “decisive” inspections by environmental watchdog Ibama. The number of violations noted during the period increased by 106%.
“This is a first step towards achieving the goal of zero deforestation by 2030,” the ministry said in a statement posted on social media.
(Reporting Gabriel Araujo; French version Gaëlle Sheehan, edited by Sophie Louet)
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