Illegal deforestation in Borba yields biggest environmental fine in Amazonas in 2025 Henrique Almeida/Ipaam Amazonas recorded a 38% drop in deforestation between August 2025 and June 2026, compared to the same period the previous year. Despite the reduction, the state was the third most deforested state in the Legal Amazon, with 378 square kilometers (km²) of forest cut down. The data comes from the Deforestation Alert System (SAD), from the Institute for Man and the Environment of the Amazon (Imazon), released this Friday (24). The survey shows that Amazonas followed the downward trend in deforestation in the region. Even so, it was second only to Pará, with 684 km² deforested, and Mato Grosso, with 509 km². ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp "Although these three states have recorded drops in deforestation, they have large forest areas and need to strengthen their inspection and punishment actions to prevent further deforestation", warns Imazon researcher, Manoela Athaide. The five states with the largest deforested area between August 2025 and June 2026 were: ?Pará - 684 km² ?Mato Grosso - 509 km² ?Amazonas - 378 km² ?Roraima - 249 km² ?Acre - 230 km² Amazonas leads conservation with a protected area larger than Uruguay Protected areas helped reduce deforestation According to the study, the reduction in deforestation in Amazonas and the Legal Amazon is mainly linked to the performance of protected areas. In the first half of 2026, more than 80% of these areas did not record any deforestation. In total, 588 territories passed the first six months of the year without forest loss, 330 of which were Indigenous Lands (TIs) and 258 Conservation Units (UCs). In Amazonas, no Indigenous Land or Conservation Unit appeared on the list of protected areas that had more than 1 km² of deforestation between January and June. Lowest deforestation in eight years in the Legal Amazon In the entire Legal Amazon, the deforested area in the first half of 2026 totaled 1,145 km², the lowest mark for the period in the last eight years. The result represents a reduction of 76% when compared to the first half of 2022, a record year in Imazon's historical series. Environmental degradation caused by illegal logging and fires also plummeted in the accumulated "deforestation calendar" (August to June), registering a drop of 93%. READ ALSO: Bigger than Uruguay: Amazonas has a protected area the size of a country, but faces inspection challenges New environmental licensing law threatens Conservation Units and biodiversity in AM, experts point out Study shows that public lands in Amazonas are sold at outdated prices and experts warn