Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon dropped by 7% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to an analysis by Imazon, a Brazil-based organization that uses satellite imagery to monitor changes in the world’s largest rainforest. However, the news was not entirely positive for conservation efforts: forest degradation skyrocketed by 497%, driven primarily by fires that scorched vast areas of drought-stricken rainforest.
The findings align with official data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). In November, INPE released preliminary figures showing a 31% decline in deforestation for the year ending July 31, 2024. However, INPE’s DETER alert system also recorded a sharp rise in forest degradation.
Imazon reported 36,379 square kilometers of degraded land in 2024, the highest level in 15 years. By comparison, only 6,092 km² of degradation was registered in 2023.
Pará led all states in deforestation for the ninth consecutive year, with 1,260 km² of forest loss, followed by Amazonas with 820 km². Pará also topped the list for forest degradation, with 17,195 km² affected.
Severe droughts have worsened the Amazon’s challenges. Two consecutive years of extreme dry conditions fueled fires in areas that are typically too humid to burn.
The Amazon is increasingly vulnerable to climate change, compounded by ongoing deforestation and forest degradation. Scientists warn that these pressures are destabilizing the ecosystem, leading to widespread tree die-offs in the southern and eastern regions. If these trends continue unchecked, they could disrupt continental rainfall patterns and trigger a sharp decline in species that depend on the rainforest.
Deforestation in the Amazon has been slowing over the past three years, but degradation poses a growing threat to its survival.
Header image: Greenpeace Brazil conducted an aerial survey in southern Amazonas and northern Rondônia to monitor deforestation and fires in July 2024. Photo © Marizilda Cruppe / Greenpeace.
