Satellite-detected deforestation alerts in the Brazilian Amazon fell to their lowest level in a decade during the first half of 2026, according to monitoring data released this week. The Deter system recorded 1,295 square kilometres of forest-loss alerts from January through June, the smallest area flagged since mid-2016.
In June alone, alerts covered 297.26 square kilometres, a 35% drop from the same month a year earlier and the lowest June figure in 20 years. Over the full monitoring calendar running from August 2025 through June 2026, cumulative Amazon alerts totalled 2,485.9 square kilometres, down 37.2% from the prior period.
The Cerrado savanna also saw declines, with first-half alerts reaching their lowest point since 2021. The data arrives months after environmental regulator Ibama authorised Petrobras to drill for oil off the mouth of the Amazon River.