The Amazon rainforest is sending mixed signals to the world in May 2026. On one hand, newly released satellite data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Imazon institute shows that deforestation has hit its lowest level in eight years, extending a downward trend that began after a sharp rise earlier in the decade. The data indicates that the total forest loss across the legal Amazon in the first quarter of 2026 was the smallest recorded for the period since 2018. In March specifically, the degraded area plummeted by 95% compared to the previous year, reaching the lowest level for that month since 2014.
On the other hand, this apparent victory masks a more insidious threat: the collapse of the Amazon Soy Moratorium. In a devastating decision in January 2026, the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (ABIOVE), which represents the world’s largest soybean traders, announced its withdrawal from the landmark 2006 agreement that prohibited the purchase of soy grown on deforested lands. Scientists have expressed grave concerns that the moratorium’s collapse could increase deforestation rates in the Amazon by up to one‑third over the next 20 years. The potential for a sharp increase in deforestation directly contradicts the recent positive data. The moratorium had helped reduce deforestation in the biome by preventing the expansion of soy plantations into forested areas, but its end comes after a three‑year campaign by the agribusiness sector.
The new report from Imazon for May 2026 also confirmed that despite the quarterly drop, the month of March alone saw a 17% increase in deforestation compared to the previous year, from 167 square kilometers in 2025 to 196 square kilometers in 2026. Furthermore, a gold‑fueled mining rush continues to scar the Brazilian Amazon, with illegal mining accumulating 832 hectares of deforestation between 2016 and September 2025, leaving trails of destruction and mercury contamination.
While Brazil has cut deforestation by 60‑80% over two decades, four of the country’s flagship supply‑chain policies have failed to halt forest degradation, the slower and less visible assault now hollowing the canopy from beneath. With ABIOVE’s decision and the upcoming global climate conference later this year, all eyes are now on Brasília to see if Brazil can reverse this dangerous course or whether the Amazon has reached its point of no return.
Sources & references:
China.org.cn – “Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon down 17 pct in Q1”, 28 April 2026. china.org.cn
Inside Climate News – “Amazon Deforestation at Eight-Year Low, Report Shows”, 14 May 2026. insideclimatenews.org
Greenpeace International – “The Amazon’s best shield is cracking: Why the soy moratorium must be defended”, 16 January 2026. greenpeace.org
ABC News – “A gold-fueled mining rush scars Brazil’s Amazon, spiking deforestation and mercury risks”, 5 May 2026. abcnews.go.com
News.mongabay – “Amazon deforestation on pace to be the lowest on record, says Brazil”, 17 February 2026. news.mongabay.com
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