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Left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, when he assumed office three years ago, pledged to end deforestation by 2030 in the Amazon. It had surged under his right-wing predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. Lula will face Bolsonaro's son Flavio in the run-off on 25 October, with polls suggesting a neck-and-neck race. Flavio is expected to continue his father's policies if he wins, though he has pledged to fight organised crime in the Amazon. Satellite data shows that in the year to July 2026, the deforestation rate fell by 41.8% in the Amazon - the biggest drop since records began in 1988. The fall in the Cerrado, Brazil's savanna region, was 23.8%. The Amazon rainforest - the world's largest - is a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change and 60% of it is located in Brazil.     Why the Amazon rainforest is so important    (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct73s2)       Listen on Sounds   What in the World podcast     Jair Bolsonaro promoted mining in indigenous lands in the Amazon and forest clearances soared at the same time as resources to protect the forest were cut. During Bolsonaro's presidency from 2019 to 2022, the Amazon lost nearly 60% more in forest lands compared to the previous four years, news agency AFP reported, citing official data. Lula reversed his policies and oversaw deforestation rates (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66393360) drop to a six-year low during his first year in office. Lula tightened up environmental monitoring and penalties for illegal logging. "Our goal is to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030," he said in a post on X on Friday. Tropical rainforests like the Amazon are home to millions of species. In a healthy state, they absorb vast quantities of planet-warming carbon dioxide, helping to keep the Earth cool. But they have come under increasing pressure from decades of deliberate land clearance for agriculture and logging, as well as climate change, which scientists warn can create conditions for wildfires. Brazil's Environment Minister Joao Paulo Capobianco described the decline in Amazon deforestation as "absolutely stratospheric". It was an "historic achievement" for Brazil, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary at climate advocacy group Observatorio do Clima. It showed that "with political will, it is possible to curb deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions", Astrini said.     Related topics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c77jz3mdq2pt) Amazon rainforest  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmw77wt) Brazil  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cnx753jenyjt) Environment  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/ce73e161xjet) Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva        More on this story (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0lnngl6713o) Tropical forests destroyed at fastest recorded rate last year     Published 21 May 2025          (Aerial shot of dense green rainforest with thick clouds of smoke rising up into the air)          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c04gqez4lkyo) What was agreed on climate change at COP30 in Brazil?     Published 22 November 2025          (A woman walks past an infrastructure project under way for COP30 in Belem. She has her hair up and is wearing a grey dress and carrying a black bag. Misaligned posters in white, blue and orange read "Belem Capital Da COP30".)          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