Data from satellites Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon has decreased since last year.

According to preliminary satellite data collected by the government’s space research agency Inpe, 167 square kilometers (64 square miles) were cleared in the region last month, down 61% from January 2022, the worst month in the eight-year series.

Deforestation in January was also lower than the 196 square km historical average for the month since 2016, though January data can be especially noisy due to heavy clouds over the rainforest early in the year. The new figures came after Reuters exclusively reported on that the US was considering making its first contribution to a multilateral fund aimed at combating Amazon deforestation, with an announcement possible during President Joe Biden’s meeting with Lula at the White House.

An aerial view shows a boundary demarcation area at the Arara indigenous reserve during an operation to combat deforestation near Uruara, Para State, Brazil January 21, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

Healthy vegetation sits alongside a field scorched by fire in the Amazon rainforest in 2019. Leonardo Carrato/Bloomberg