In the Amazon, deforestation reaches record

According to INPE’s DETER system, data shows that 322 square kilometers were deforested in the Amazon last month. The data, which establishes that 199 square kilometers were deforested in February last year, reveals an increase of 62 percent in February this year.

The states with the highest deforestation were Mato Grosso with 162 square kilometers, Pará with 46 square kilometers, Amazonas with 46 square kilometers, and Roraima with 31 square kilometers.

Deforestation is on the rise in the Amazon due to illegal logging, mining activities, and efforts by farmers to expand their large tracts of land.

Companies operating in the Amazon are accused of destroying the habitats of local communities by poisoning the soil and rivers.

While mining activities are not currently allowed in the Amazon, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has come under fire for his stance in favor of allowing mining operations in the region for economic reasons.

Bolsonaro submitted a bill to the Brazilian parliament in February 2020 that would allow mining activities in the region.

Before assuming the presidency, current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged to protect the Amazon rainforest at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), held in Sharm el-Sheikh , Egypt, in November. 2022.

Silva affirmed that during the 4 years of the Bolsonaro government, deforestation in the Amazon increased by 73 percent and 13,000 square kilometers were deforested. (AA)