On May 9, 2025, the eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) (Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and others) met at a summit in Brazil to commit to ending deforestation by 2030 and to work together to combat illegal mining, logging, and oil drilling. It was the first summit since 2009 and is seen as…

Water levels in 15 of the Amazon’s major tributaries have fallen to historic lows, and the Negro River near Manaus has dropped below 12.68 meters, a further 0.02 meters below the 2023 record. The drought has led to the isolation of water-dependent communities, the near collapse of freshwater ecosystems and the further erosion of rainforest…

AI monitoring equipment deployed by a Chinese team in cooperation with Brazil has reduced fire warning time to within 2 hours by analyzing satellite images and meteorological data, and has successfully extinguished 12 major fires in 2025, protecting an area of 12,000 hectares.

Small-scale gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon is destroying peatlands at a “catastrophic rate”, according to a March 2025 study, which shows that in the past two years more peatlands have been destroyed in the region than in the previous 30 years combined, releasing between 200,000 and 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The loss of…

Data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that deforestation in the Amazon rainforest increased by 18% year-on-year in March 2025, mainly in the states of Pará and Mato Grosso. Illegal logging and mining activities have led to a loss of biodiversity and a shrinking of habitat for endangered species such as orangutans.…

A study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in collaboration with the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUST) finds that deforestation in the Amazon leads to increased local rainfall during the rainy season, but significant reductions in precipitation in areas up to 60 kilometers away, and reduced local rainfall during the dry season…

Brazilian potash company plans to invest $2.5 billion to develop the Otazis potash mine in the Amazon hinterland, which is expected to produce 9.2 million tons of potash annually to alleviate the country’s dependence on 83% of potash imports. The project site is adjacent to an area inhabited by the Mula indigenous people, which poses…

The accelerated construction of a four-lane highway through 40,000 acres of rainforest in Belém, Brazil, has sparked an ecological crisis. The project has already destroyed 26,000 ancient trees and cut off migration routes for endangered species. Scientists have warned that the Amazon rainforest is approaching a tipping point of ecological collapse, with only 74% of…

In February 2025, Brazilian environmental enforcement officers launched Operation Maravalia, targeting the areas of the Amazon rainforest most affected by illegal logging. During the two-week raids, nearly a dozen sawmills were shut down and fines totaling 15.5 million reais (about $2.7 million) were issued. Although about 90 percent of the illegally harvested timber in the…

February 12, 2025 – The Brazilian government plans to expand its selective logging policy over the next two years, allowing companies participating in timber concession programs to cut no more than six trees per hectare for 30 years and avoiding rare species. Brazilian President Lula also plans to manage up to 310,000 square kilometers of…