Deforestation data comes from a system called Deter, run by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, an initiative focused primarily on detecting deforestation in real time. The most accurate deforestation estimates come from another system called Prodes, whose data is only released annually.

João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of Brazil’s environment ministry, noted that the full-year results will depend on a few challenging months ahead. Still, the data is an encouraging sign for President Lula da Silva, who campaigned in 2022 on a pledge to curb illegal logging and reverse the environmental destruction that occurred during Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency. President Lula da Silva has pledged to expel intruders from protected forest areas.

The Amazon rainforest was severely damaged. Photo : Reuters.

“In short, we are prioritizing environmental enforcement,” said Jair Schmitt, head of environmental protection at Ibama, Brazil’s federal environmental agency. Ibama has also increased remote monitoring, where deforestation is detected through satellite imagery, Schmitt said. By cross-referencing with land records, Ibama has been able to identify the owners of the land in many cases, leading to embargoes, restrictions on access to financial loans, and other sanctions.

Another strategy is to seize thousands of cattle illegally raised in restricted areas. But understaffing makes the task difficult. Many Ibama officers retired and were not replaced under the Bolsonaro administration. Ibama staff numbers are at a 24-year low. President Lula da Silva has pledged to restore the force.

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DUONG NGUYEN