MEXICO CITY

Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) reported a 68% decrease in deforestation in the Amazon on Friday -- the largest decline since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office in January. 

The agency reported that the Amazon lost 126.92 square miles (326.1 square kilometers) to deforestation last month, a significant drop from the 175.9 square miles averaged in the previous month. 

It marks a continued decline in deforestation from January to April. Inpe documented a 40% decrease in deforestation compared to the same period last year.

Lula pledged to offset the ongoing and heightened deforestation in the biome during the tenure of his predecessor, President Jair Bolsonaro.

During his four-year term as president, Bolsonaro oversaw 13,135 square miles of deforestation.

In his last month in office alone, in December 2022, deforestation rose 150%. 

Bolsonaro cut down the environmental budget and fired experts while securing the interests of influential agribusiness leaders. 

Starting Jan 1, Lula set to transform Brazil into a “green superpower,” promising zero deforestation and degradation of the biomes. 

The leftist president unfroze the billion-dollar Amazon fund and secured substantial donations from the world’s superpowers.

Germany and Norway -- the original donors -- were joined by the US and recently, the UK with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledging a donation of $100 million to the fund to combat deforestation in the Amazon. 

But although deforestation in the Amazon continues on a downward trend, deforestation in Brazil’s second-largest biome, the Cerrado, shows an increase. 

Deforestation in the Cerrado between January and April was the highest in the last five years, reaching an increase of 14.5% compared to the same period during the previous year.

Deforestation alerts were 31% higher in April compared to the same month in 2022.