Brazil reduced primary forest loss by about 36% in 2023 compared to 2022. The country thus achieved the lowest level of deforestation since 2015, as indicated by a study released on Thursday (4th).
The data was produced by Global Forest Watch, a platform by the NGO WRI (World Resources Institute), in partnership with the Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) Laboratory at the University of Maryland.
Mikaela Weisse, the project director, highlights that primary tropical forests are the most important ecosystems for mitigating carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. "They are the most effective tools for combating climate change."
Primary tropical forests are characterized by high annual rainfall, high average temperatures, nutrient-poor soil, and biodiversity richness. In Brazil, the Amazon rainforest is the prime example.
Weisse attributes the reduction in deforestation in Brazil to the government's role. In the first year of his administration, Lula and his ministries strengthened the fight against environmental crime and recognized new indigenous territories. However, the cerrado and the Pantanal experienced drastic vegetation losses.
"In the cerrado, the epicenter of agricultural production in Brazil, there was a 6% increase in tree cover loss between 2022 and 2023, and the Pantanal biome also saw a peak in forest loss due to fires last year," the director emphasizes.