Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, known as INPE, reported record-low figures in its monitoring series for native-vegetation suppression in the Legal Amazon and the Cerrado, the country’s vast tropical savanna.

The figures, published on October 16, 2026 through INPE’s BiomasBR monitoring program, show a sharp year-on-year reduction in both areas. But the two results have different statistical status: the Amazon number is an estimate that remains subject to consolidation, while the Cerrado number is already consolidated.

What happened

For the period from August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026, INPE’s Prodes system estimated 3,335 square kilometers of native-vegetation suppression in the Legal Amazon. That was 41.8% below the consolidated 5,731 square kilometers reported for the previous period.

INPE said the estimate was lower than the previous minimum in the Amazon monitoring series: 4,571 square kilometers, recorded in 2012. The Amazon Prodes series began in 1988.

In the Cerrado, Prodes reported a consolidated rate of 5,516.69 square kilometers for 2025/2026. That was 23.8% below the 7,235.27 square kilometers recorded in the preceding period.

The Cerrado figure was also below the biome’s prior series low of 6,319 square kilometers, registered in 2019. Monitoring for the Cerrado series began in 2001.

Why it matters

The Amazon and Cerrado are monitored through separate Prodes datasets and territorial definitions. The Legal Amazon is the geographic area used for the Amazon monitoring system, while the Cerrado dataset covers the biome. As a result, the two figures should not be added together to create a national total.

The reported decline is significant in each series, but the Amazon result should not be treated as a final annual rate. INPE said it is based on priority satellite imagery and will be consolidated after analysis of all available imagery, a process expected in the first half of 2027.

That distinction means the Cerrado total is the finalized figure currently available for its monitoring period, whereas the Legal Amazon total may change when INPE completes its consolidation process.

By the numbers

The bigger picture

INPE’s announcement places the new figures in the context of long-running satellite monitoring. The Legal Amazon series has been tracked since 1988, while the Cerrado series dates from 2001. In both cases, INPE identified the 2025/2026 results as the lowest levels recorded in their respective series.

For readers assessing the data, the central caveat is methodological rather than geographic: the Amazon result is preliminary and based on priority imagery, while the Cerrado result has completed the consolidation process. The separate territorial coverage of the two systems is also essential for interpreting the numbers accurately.

What happens next

INPE expects to consolidate the Legal Amazon estimate using all satellite imagery in the first half of 2027. Until then, 3,335 square kilometers is the agency’s published estimate for the 2025/2026 monitoring period, not a final consolidated annual result.