Brazil's Amazon sees sharp decline in size of area burned in 2025
Brazil's Amazon experienced a significant decline in the area burned in 2025, with 3.1 million hectares compared to a record 15.8 million in 2024, marking the smallest area since 1985. This positive trend is attributed to reduced fires and an easing of the unprecedented 2024 season, boosting President Lula's re-election campaign.
Why it matters
This sharp reduction in Amazon fires is crucial for global climate efforts and biodiversity, offering a positive indicator for environmental protection policies in Brazil, though experts caution against complacency in prevention efforts.
Image source, Evaristo Sa / AFP via Getty Images Image caption, The low figures for 2025 are welcome news after a peak in areas burned in 2024
The area burned in Brazil's Amazon in 2025 was far smaller in size than the previous year, according to the deforestation monitoring group MapBiomas.
A MapBiomas report states that 3.1 million hectares of Brazil's Amazon were burned last year, compared with a record-breaking 15.8 million hectares in 2024.
The amount of land burned in the world's largest rainforest last year covered the smallest area since MapBiomas records began in 1985.
Protecting the Amazon was one of the pledges President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made when he was running for running for office four years ago. These latest figures will be seen as a boost to his campaign for re-election in October.
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