Amazon Fires Hit Historic Low in Brazil

MapBiomas reported that forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon reached a historic low in 2025, burning 3.1 million hectares. This decrease follows a peak in 2024, when drought and man-made fires ravaged the rainforest. The decline is linked to a delayed rainy season that disrupted agricultural burning windows and reduced deforestation, alongside increased community efforts to control outbreaks.

The report notes that while fires decreased nationally to levels not seen since 2018, the Cerrado savanna in central Brazil continued to experience similar burn rates. Experts caution that a potential “super El Nino” climate event this year could bring drier conditions and increase fire risk.

Protecting the Amazon remains vital for climate change mitigation, and President Lula da Silva is campaigning for reelection on a platform that includes environmental protection, despite recent criticism for supporting offshore oil exploration.