By Mayara Subtil
- In the Amazon, alerts fell by 36% between August 2025 and July 2026, totaling 2,874.38 km², the lowest figure in Deter’s historical record for the period and 55.6% below the average for the last ten cycles.
- In the Cerrado, there was a 7.8% reduction in deforestation alerts, with 5,119.46 km² recorded during the period. Tocantins (-3.8%), Piauí (-51.2%), and Bahia (-27%) all saw decreases.
- Five of the six Amazonian states with the largest areas under alert recorded a reduction, notably Mato Grosso (-49%), Amazonas (-46.7%), and Rondônia (-41.2%); Roraima saw an increase of 32.5%.
The decline in deforestation alerts in the Amazon reinforces a downward trend in the biome and shows that Brazil can continue moving toward zero deforestation. This is the assessment of Ane Alencar, Director of Science at IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute), based on new data from Deter (Real-Time Deforestation Detection System), released this Friday (7) by INPE (National Institute for Space Research). The country has a goal of achieving zero deforestation by 2030.
“The Deter data indicate a sustained reduction in deforestation in the Amazon, which is very positive. We have the lowest rate recorded by PRODES since measurements began. This shows that the country can indeed continue on a path toward achieving zero deforestation. It proves that it is possible to reduce deforestation in the Amazon, even in the face of all the challenges such as climate change and El Niño,” said Ane Alencar.
In the Amazon, deforestation alerts fell by 36% between August 2025 and July 2026, compared to the previous cycle. A total of 2,874.38 km² was recorded under deforestation alerts, the lowest figure in Deter’s historical series for the period, which began in 2016. The result was also 55.6% below the average for the last ten cycles, from 2015/2016 to 2024/2025.
In the Cerrado, alerts also decreased: the drop was 7.8%, with 5,119.46 km² under alert between August 2025 and July 2026.
Alerts in the Amazonian states
Among the Amazonian states with the largest areas under alert, five recorded a decrease compared to the previous cycle. Pará accounted for 987.27 km² (-25.5%), while Mato Grosso recorded 834.41 km² (-49%).
In Amazonas, 433.9 km² were under a deforestation alert (-46.7%). A decrease was also observed in Acre, with 153.8 km² (-35.3%), and in Rondônia, with 114.3 km² (-41.2%). Roraima moved in the opposite direction, with 272.6 km² under alert, an increase of 32.5%.
Deter also reported a 28.88% reduction in areas under alert for the removal of non-forest vegetation in the Amazon, which totaled 345.28 km² during the period.
Situation in the Cerrado
In the Cerrado, Maranhão had the largest area under alert, at 1,276.92 km², followed by Tocantins (1,189.9 km²), Piauí (568.23 km²), Mato Grosso (562.02 km²), Bahia (534.94 km²), and Minas Gerais (490.38 km²).
Compared to the previous cycle, there was a decrease in alerts in Tocantins (-3.8%), Piauí (-51.2%), and Bahia (-27%). Meanwhile, Maranhão (+2.1%), Mato Grosso (+40.5%), and Minas Gerais (+72.5%) recorded increases.
Despite a 7.8% decrease across the Cerrado region as a whole, the data show that the decline was not uniform across the states, with an increase in alerts in three of the six states that accounted for the largest areas detected by the system.
The official rate is from PRODES
Although Deter data indicate the trend in deforestation alerts over the monitored period, they do not correspond to the official deforestation rate. The system was developed to support enforcement and monitoring efforts based on alerts of changes in native vegetation identified by satellite imagery.
The official rate is calculated by Prodes (Project for Satellite Monitoring of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon), also part of INPE. The system performs a more detailed analysis of the images and compiles the deforested area annually.
The two systems serve different purposes. While Deter identifies trends and supports enforcement actions, Prodes calculates the deforested area and publishes the official rate.
*IPAM communications analyst. mayara.barbosa@ipam.org.br
