Zero deforestation recorded on 60% of indigenous lands in the Amazon

From August 2025 to July 2026, the Deforestation Alert System (SAD) of the Amazon Institute of Man and the Environment (Imazon) indicated that 60 percent of indigenous territories in the Amazon recorded zero deforestation. During this period, deforestation in the region covered an area of 2,702 km².

Of the total deforested area in the biome, only 1.7 percent – equivalent to 46.96 km² – was recorded within indigenous lands. Deforestation occurred in only 40 percent of indigenous peoples’ territories, and in plots that were mostly less than 1 km² in size.

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The figures, Imazon stated, underscore the “importance of these lands and their peoples for the protection of biodiversity, the maintenance of rainfall, and the mitigation of climate change.”

According to the institute’s data, the territories with the largest deforested areas were the Cachoeira Seca indigenous territory in Pará state, which lost 4.44 km² during the period, followed by the Andirá-Marau indigenous territory, with an affected area of 2.83 km², located between the states of Pará and Amazonas.

Conservation areas

Within the Amazon’s conservation areas, deforestation accounted for nine percent of the biome’s total area, equivalent to 239.76 km².

Overall, the hardest-hit states were Pará, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas, with losses of 818 km², 565 km², and 495 km² respectively.

Imazon researcher Manoela Athaide points out that, although these three states rank among those with the highest rates of deforestation, they all showed a decrease in deforestation compared to the previous year.

“Because they have the largest territories, these states are often among the top three in terms of deforestation, with their rankings fluctuating over the years,” she noted.

Historical data

Compared to the historical data series, which began in 2007, this year’s figures showed the lowest deforestation rate in the Amazon in the last 11 years.

The Deforestation Alert System also monitors degraded areas in the Amazon affected by fire or selective logging, where part of the native vegetation remains but the functioning of ecosystems is impaired.

From August 2025 to July 2026, the Amazon had 2,577 km² of degraded area, down 93 percent from the previous reporting period, when the biome had 35,229 km² of degraded land.