Changing places: Is there hope for the Amazon rainforest?

Is there hope for the Amazon rainforest?

As a GCSE geographer you need to stay up to date with the latest geographical news and consider how international and local decisions can impact people and the environment. This article looks at some recent positive trends showing that the rate of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is slowing. However, it also recognises the difficulties for decisionmakers working to find a sustainable solution.

Michelle Minton

Rainforest in Anavilhanas National Park, Amazonas, Brazil

Satellite data for 2023 show that deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has fallen, with about 33% less deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon between January and June 2023 compared to the previous year, and August 2023 seeing a reduction of 66% from the same time the previous year. This is a stark change to the rate of ‘11 football pitches’ of Brazilian rainforest being lost every minute in 2022.

So, what has happened to cause this positive story about slowing deforestation? One of the key drivers has been the change in Brazil’s leadership. In January 2023 President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was re-elected and pledged to end deforestation of the Amazon by 2030 — a bold and ambitious target. This was in contrast to President Bolsonaro, who led Brazil before that.