RIO DE JANEIRO — Preliminary data released Friday signaled deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon in April was the highest for that month in at least five years, a report that comes two weeks after Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said his government would dedicate more energy and resources toward curbing deforestation.

Deforestation rose 43 percent over the same month in 2020, to 224 square miles, according to the government’s Deter monitoring system, which provides daily deforestation alerts based on satellite images.