Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon down by 50% to five-year low in 2023

Macaws sit on a tree at the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File Photo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest in 2023 halved from the previous year to its lowest level since 2018, government data showed on Friday, a major win for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in his first year in office.

Lula has staked his international reputation on reducing deforestation in the South American country, with pledges to end illegal clearing by 2030. Under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, destruction accelerated in the world's largest rainforest.