Brazil recorded 3,335 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest cleared in the year ending in July, the lowest level since 1988, according to the latest figures.
The total represented a 42% decline from a year earlier, Al Jazeera reported. Deutsche Welle said the reduction was described as an “historic achievement.”
The figures were released ahead of an election run-off. The BBC reported that deforestation had expanded under former president Jair Bolsonaro, while describing the Amazon as an important buffer against climate change.