The Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change announced Friday that deforestation in the Amazon fell 50% by the end of 2023.
The 50.5% drop, reported between January and November, was lauded as a result of the commitment of current President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and a strengthening of environmental institutions.
“The Brazilian climate target was corrected, reaffirming the commitment to the Paris Agreement and the country’s leading role in the fight against climate change,” according to a statement by the Environment Ministry.
Within measures cited that led to the decline, authorities said infraction acts issued for crimes against flora in the Amazon increased 114% compared to the average for the same period from 2019 to 2022.
The fall in deforestation has prevented 250 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. Deforestation is responsible for about half of Brazil’s emissions, with Lula promising to drive it to zero by 2030, according to authorities.
Within hours of taking power in 2019, then-President Jair Bolsonaro empowered the agribusiness lobby to plunder natural resources in Brazilian biomes. Bolsonaro dismantled institutions in charge of protecting the rainforest, such as the Conservation Units and Indigenous Lands, which were suspended during his presidency.
Felling trees and illegal mining thrived during Bolsonaro’s four-year term, and by 2022, deforestation had reached historic levels, with 3,980 square kilometers (1,537 square miles) cleared in the first six months of that year.
At the beginning of his term last January, Lula renewed his environmental commitments and took measures to counteract the damage caused by his predecessor, with 277,000 new hectares (684,482 acres) of protected areas created in 2023.
The international community has backed the government’s commitments, with partners joining Lula’s cause.
Last year, Germany announced €101.8 million ($111.5 million) for forestry projects in Brazil during a visit to Berlin by Lula and Environment Minister Marina Silva. The funds include €25 million for forest restoration and sustainable management in the Amazon.
The Council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved more than $82 million for environmental projects in Brazil.
The GEF will also allocate $3.9 million to Redeser, a project launched this year to combat desertification in the Caatinga.
There was also an announcement of $41 million from international philanthropy groups for the country’s environmental area.