Amazon region records less rainfall and a sharp increase in hotspots in August

The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) has released the second edition of the Amazon Environmental Monitoring Bulletin, prepared with technical support from the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO). The publication provides an overview of environmental conditions across the region in August 2026, based on indicators of precipitation, temperature, hotspots and burned areas.

Among its main findings, the monitoring shows an expansion of dry conditions across the Amazon Basin. Of the 32 sub-basins analyzed, 18 experienced dry conditions in August, compared with six in July. Average precipitation fell from approximately 90 mm to 55 mm between the two months, while average temperature was 1.36 °C above the climatological average.

Hotspots also increased significantly, rising from 2,757 in July to 12,123 in August. The bulletin also tracks fire occurrence and burned areas in Indigenous Territories and protected areas, contributing to an integrated view of changing environmental conditions across the Amazon.

The second edition is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

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