Deforestation in
Brazilian Amazonia Falls by 72.5 Percent
BRASILIA - Brazilian Amazonia lost 247
square kilometers of forest between October
and November of 2009, a reduction of 72.5
percent as compared to the same period in
2008, according to official figures.
The system of Detection of Deforestation in
Real Time (DETER) of the National Institute
of Space Research (INPE) pointed out that in
October of 2008 deforestation in Amazonia
reached 540 square kilometers while in the
same month last year this figure slowed to
175 square kilometers, representing a 68
percent reduction.
In November of 2008 deforestation killed 356
square kilometers of forest and during the
same month in 2009 the Amazonia lost 72
square kilometers, 80 percent less.
DETER takes into account on its study the
areas that suffer complete deforestation and
those that suffer progressive degradation.
Commenting on these results, Brazilian
Minister of the Environment Carlos Minc
maintained that "no one could say we did not
observe deforestation because of cloud
interference. As the clouds cleared we were
able to verify that deforestation fell, he
indicated.
Minc attributed the reduction of tree
cutting in the world's largest tropical
jungle to control measures applied by the
Brazilian Institute of the Environment and
Renewable Natural Resources, the Federal and
Highway Police, and the National Security
Forces.
He also pointed to the program Operation
Green Arch that offers economic alternatives
to illegal deforestation and is being
implemented in 43 municipalities in the
Amazon.
DETER statistics indicate that from August
to November last year 1,144 square
kilometers of forest disappeared as opposed
to 2,238 square kilometers in the first
quarter of 2008, a 50 percent reduction.
The minister of the Environment estimated
that at this pace it would be possibly to
reach the 2020 voluntary goal set by Brazil
of an 80 percent reduction of deforestation
in the Amazon region.
Minc predicted that Brazil can achieve that
goal this year and reach 2020 with 95
percent reduction in the loss of forests as
compared to figures a decade ago. |
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