INPE: Record wildfires fuel sharp rise in Amazon deforestation

INPE reports rise in deforestation

Figures released by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which uses satellite data to monitor forest cover, showed that deforestation between August 2024 and May 2025 rose by 9.1% compared to the same period the previous year.

Sharp spike in May 2025

The data also revealed a staggering 92% increase in Amazon deforestation during May 2025 alone, compared to May 2024. This surge threatens to undo the progress made in 2024, when deforestation slowed across all Brazilian ecological biomes for the first time in six years.

Contrasting trends in other biomes

According to AFP, while the Amazon saw alarming deforestation figures, other Brazilian biomes showed improvements. In the Pantanal wetlands, for example, deforestation dropped by 77% during the same period.

Drought and human activity blamed

Joao Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary at Brazil’s environment ministry, attributed the rise in deforestation to an unprecedented number of wildfires across Brazil and neighboring South American countries. These fires, intensified by severe drought conditions, were often started to clear land for agriculture or cattle but quickly spiraled out of control.