The area of Brazil's Amazon rainforest destroyed by fire fell sharply in 2025, according to monitoring group MapBiomas, marking a significant improvement after a record-breaking year of destruction in 2024. The figures will be welcomed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who pledged to protect the Amazon when he took office and is seeking re-election in October, though researchers caution it is too early to call this an established trend.

MapBiomas recorded 3.1 million hectares burned in the Amazon in 2025, down from 15.8 million hectares in 2024, the smallest area since records began in 1985. Across Brazil as a whole, roughly 12.7 million hectares burned in 2025 compared with 30 million in 2024. The decline, described as a 31% drop against the historical average, is attributed largely to the lowest number of Amazon fires in 41 years and cooler La Niña conditions replacing the warmer El Niño pattern, though experts warn El Niño's return could lengthen the dry season and raise fire risk again.