Amazon rainforest monitoring

This micro-site aggregates data on deforestation in the Amazon from several sources. The most timely data comes from Brazil: specifically Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and Imazon, a Brazilian NGO.

Narrative context on these issues can be found at Mongabay’s Amazon rainforest section as well as Mongabay’s regular news reporting on the Amazon in English, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish. Recent headlines from these sites can be found at the bottom of this page.

Sections

This site is organized into sections:

Annual data

Annual deforestation in the legal Amazon since 1988, according to INPE's PRODES system. Note: 2023 data is preliminary.
Annual deforestation in the legal Amazon since 1988, according to INPE’s PRODES system. Note: 2023 data is preliminary.

Recent news on monitoring deforestation in the Amazon rainforest

English

  • As the rainforest gets drier, Amazon Indigenous groups thirst for clean water
    on February 18, 2025 at 6:23 pm

    - The 2024 extreme and historical drought that hit the Amazon exposed a chronic problem: access to drinking water and sanitation in Indigenous lands, where only a third of households have proper water supply systems.- In some Amazon rivers in Brazil, cases of diseases related to inadequate basic sanitation, such as malaria and acute diarrhea, have been increasing amid climate change and population growth.- Indigenous organizations have been demanding the implementation of adapted infrastructures in the villages, such as water tanks, wells, cesspools and septic tanks.- The Brazilian federal government already has resources and plans to begin addressing these issues.

  • Wild Targets
    on February 17, 2025 at 8:53 am

    The illicit wildlife trade is one of the most lucrative black-market industries in the world, behind only drug trafficking, counterfeit goods, and human trafficking. Wild Targets is a Mongabay video series that explores the cultural beliefs behind the pervasiveness of poaching, as well as the innovative and inspiring solutions that aim to combat the trade.

  • Cargill weakens Amazon no-deforestation vow, raising concerns about wider backslide
    on February 13, 2025 at 8:16 pm

    Commodity-trading giant Cargill recently signaled that it will weaken its no-deforestation commitments in the Amazon Rainforest, an investigation by Repórter Brasil has revealed. In its latest sustainability report, released in December 2024, Cargill changed how it measures deforestation in its soy supply chain. It had initially committed to following the guidelines of the Amazon Soy

  • Mining dredges return to Amazon River’s main tributary, months after crackdown
    on February 10, 2025 at 5:15 pm

    - Five months after a major operation by federal forces, illegal mining dredges are back on the Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon.- The return of the floating structures shows the resilience of illegal gold mining in the Amazon, which destroys the riverbeds and contaminates the water with mercury.- As the federal administration closes miners’ siege of Indigenous territories, the illegal miners are migrating to less-monitored areas, experts says.

  • Ecuador’s next debt-for-nature deal falls short of Indigenous involvement
    on February 10, 2025 at 10:56 am

    - Following the success of its first debt-for-nature swap for the Galapagos, Ecuador received $460 million dollars that will be allocated to the conservation of the Amazon.- The financial organizations involved in the ‘the Amazon Biocorridor Fund’ have publicized the involvement of Indigenous peoples in the process. However, Indigenous leaders have denied these claims and say they have not been involved in full participation.- On a positive side, the conservation objectives were set based on scientific work by Ecuador’s National Institute of Biodiversity (INABIO), which identified the areas that need to be prioritized based on the richness of their biodiversity.- The Amazon Biocorridor Fund is set to begin operating this year, and will do so under the supervision of civil society organizations, seeking transparency in the management of resources.

Spanish

Amazonia

Brazilian Portuguese

Amazonia