A survey released this Friday (24) by the Institute of Man and Environment of the Amazon (Imazon) shows that 588 protected areas in the Amazon went without deforestation records between January and June of this year. The total corresponds to more than 80% of these territories and includes 330 indigenous lands and 258 conservation units, says a note from "Agência Brasil"The data was released just days after the United States government included illegal deforestation among the justifications for imposing an additional 25% tariff on Brazilian products. In response, the Brazilian government stated that the accusations are "undue" and maintained that deforestation rates have been falling since 2023.
Lowest deforestation rate in 8 years
According to Imazon, the Amazon recorded 1,145 square kilometers of deforestation between January and June 2026, a result 10% lower than the same period last year. The institute states that this is the smallest deforested area in the first half of the year in the last eight years. Compared to 2022, when the peak of the historical series for the period was recorded, the reduction reached 76%. Protected areas accounted for 97.37 square kilometers of deforestation in the Amazon during the semester, equivalent to 8% of the total. Of this volume, 9.38 square kilometers were recorded in indigenous lands and 87.99 square kilometers in conservation units.
Negative highlights
Despite the overall reduction, the study points to persistent pockets of pressure on the forest. The most notable negative example is the Triunfo do Xingu Environmental Protection Area (APA) in Pará, responsible for half of the deforestation recorded in all protected areas of the Amazon in the first half of the year. Between January and June, 47.85 km² were deforested in this territory. The Jamanxim National Forest (Flona), also in Pará, was also highlighted by Imazon due to the recent Senate approval of a bill that reduces its area. According to the study, this was the fifth most deforested conservation unit in the Amazon. The territory lost 3.45 km² of forest, equivalent to almost 350 football fields. “The approval of this bill shows that the National Congress is legislating to favor a small group of people who illegally invaded this conservation unit after its creation in 2006,” explains Brenda Brito, coordinator of the Law and Sustainability Program at Imazon. According to the coordinator of Imazon, conservation units are extremely important for curbing deforestation and combating the climate crisis. "Therefore, this project needs to be vetoed by the Presidency," she argued.
States
According to Imazon, only two of the nine states that make up the Legal Amazon registered an increase in deforestation between August 2025 and June 2026: Roraima (25%) and Maranhão (20%). The other seven states showed decreases ranging from 67% (Tocantins) to 27% (Mato Grosso). Based on the size of the deforested areas, Pará led the period (684 km²), followed by Mato Grosso (509 km²) and Amazonas (378 km²).
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.