Amazon safeguards cut deforestation but miss rising forest degradation threat

Antonio has spent the past seven years running toward fires that most others run from. A firefighter in the Brazilian Amazon since 2019, he works inside the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. But things are changing, and fast. "2024 was the most extreme year for fires," Antonio said. "I had never seen anything like it. The forest burned like dry pasture—it was frightening for those of us who risk our lives to protect it."