BOGOTA

Illegal logging and deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest decreased by 22.3% between August 2022 and July 2023.

The government said in a statement that this marked the smallest area cleared since 2019.

The statement highlighted that during the period, an area of 9,001 square kilometers (3,475 square miles) was deforested.

It also said that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been actively fighting for the protection of the Amazon rainforest in the first seven months of his term, but the reduction achieved is still far from the targeted amount.

Environment Minister Marina Silva in a press conference said the government is committed to completely eliminating this issue by 2030 as part of the active fight against deforestation.

Silva cited a serious drought in Amazonas state related to the El Nino phenomenon and climate change.

"We knew this was a significant challenge, but we increased our monitoring capacity by 200%, and the plan is yielding very rapid results," she said.

The Amazon, known as the world's largest tropical rainforest, faced substantial deforestation every year during the term of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul