Salvador, Brazil — During his visit to Brazil ahead of the COP 30 Summit, Prince William criticized the amount of deforestation the Amazon rainforest has suffered this year alone.
The Prince of Wales, who spoke in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday to announce his Royal Foundation’s “United for Wildlife” programme, pointed out that over 1 million hectares of the largest tropical rainforest in the world had been damaged so far this year.
“Environments of crime are one of the most profitable and damaging forms of transnational crime. In the past year alone, over 1.7 million hectares of the Amazon were cleared across this region. Much of which is driven by illicit activity,” said the prince. “This crime fuels violence and corruption, distorts legitimate economies, and negatively impacts the livelihoods of millions.”
William’s remarks come just days after Brazil announced an 11% reduction in the Amazon deforestation between August 2024 and July 2025 in comparison to the same period in 2023 and 2024.
The administration, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, credited national conservation agencies like the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) for carrying out over 312 inspections from August 2024 to July 2025, issuing 1,301 infraction notices on Federal Conservation Units (FCUs), or protected lands.
The prince also added that deforestation is not only an environmental loss for Indigenous communities, but an existential one. “As forests are destroyed, so are their ancestral lands, sacred sites and even lives. Indigenous peoples and local communities are partners and leaders with their own solutions. They’re not just residents of the forest, they are its protectors,” he said.
“Their stewardship has kept deforestation rates in indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon up to 83% lower than in unprotected areas globally. But today these protectors are under attack,” the prince added. “Those who stand in the way of illicit activities face deadly consequences.”
The Amazon is one of the most dangerous places on Earth for environmental rights protectors, and 12 were killed in Brazil last year.
A new report from Amazon Underworld, which investigates organized crime in the region, detailed that criminal groups are present in 67% of municipalities across Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
In Brazil, transnational gangs including Comando Vermelho (Red Command) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) control drug trafficking routes, illegal mining and logging in the region.
Read more: Amazon region under attack: report highlights rampant crime across six countries
Prince William’s Brazil trip
Apart from formal events, Prince William has spent the past couple days visiting Brazil and capturing local attention.
He was seen visiting Paquetá Island, talking to locals and visiting the region’s environmental projects to protect its mangroves.
He was also spotted on Rio’s famous Copacabana beach playing volleyball with former Olympian Carol Solberg, who also leads a social project for vulnerable teenagers in Brazil.
Besides Rio, where the prince also presented the Earthshot Prize which he created along with environmentalist David Attenborough, the British royal is also scheduled to appear at the UN’s annual COP30 Summit in Belém.
The summit aims to gather world leaders between November 10 and November 21 to discuss, among other subjects, applicable measures to limit the world’s temperatures to 1.5 ºC until the end of this century.
Featured image: Prince William toured mangroves near Rio de Janeiro on November 4.
Image credit: The Prince and Princess of Wales via X.
