Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon dropped by 22.3% in the 12 months through July, government data showed Thursday, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made progress on a pledge to rein in the destruction that happened under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

Some 9,000 square kilometers (3,475 square miles) of Amazon jungle were destroyed in the 12 months through July, according to data from Brazilian space research agency Inpe, down from the 11,568 square kilometers cleared a year earlier.

It was the smallest area cleared since 2018, the year before Bolsonaro took office. The Amazon jungle is the world’s largest rainforest and its protection is seen as vital to curbing climate change.

“It’s an impressive result and seals Brazil’s return to the climate agenda,” said Marcio Astrini, head of advocacy group Climate Observatory.

Still, this year’s deforestation rate remains nearly twice that of the […]