Brazilian Amazon rainforest
sees decline in fire damage

The Amazon recorded its smallest burned area
on record in 2025 – a sharp turnaround from
the peak of 15.8 million hectares scorched
in 2024 – according to environmental
monitoring group MapBiomas

Tropical rainforests such as the Amazon are
home to millions of species and, when healthy,
absorb vast amounts of planet-warming carbon
dioxide, helping to regulate the Earth’s climate

AMAZON FIRE DAMAGE (Burnt area per year, million hectares)
Brazil’s burned area fell
31% below historical average,
driven primarily by lowest
number of fires recorded
in Amazon since 1985

64%
of all burned
area in Brazil
has caught
fire more
than once

2016
9.5

2017
9.7

2018
5.0

2019
7.5

2020
8.1

2021
4.2

2022
7.8

2023
8.5

2024
15.8

2025
3.1

Decline driven partly by cooler La Niña conditions instead of warmer El Niño

Source: Annual Fire Report 2026, MapBiomas
Pictures: Newscom
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