Deforestation rates in Brazil’s Amazon fell slightly last year, new satellite data shows.
Data show that the rainforest has lost more than 11,000 square kilometers between August 2021 and July 2022.
This is 11% less than the previous year, when more than 13,000 square kilometers were destroyed.
This data was recently published by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. This institution is part of the country’s Ministry of Science. Institute monitoring A system that collects satellite images of tropical rainforests to measure deforestation rates.
Over ten years, improvements have been seen in the Brazilian Amazon. Deforestation rates have declined to less than 10,000 square kilometers per year. But things changed in January 2019 when far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took office.
Researchers and environmentalists have accused Bolsonaro’s policies of causing a sharp increase in deforestation rates. Bolsonaro is set to step down on January 1 after recently losing re-election to former president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.
Some of the destruction done under Bolsonaro won’t show up until next year’s report, including the key period from August to October 2022.
Another federal satellite monitoring system shows a 45% increase in deforestation between August and October.But that system offers faster results, but not by much correct Alternatively, The Associated Press reports.
Traditionally, the period from August to October is the dry season, resulting in high rates of deforestation.
A survey of the new data was also completed by the Climate Observatory, a group of environmental groups. In his four years of Bolsonaro’s leadership, deforestation was shown to have increased by 60% over his previous four years. This is the largest increase under the president since satellite surveillance began in 1998.
In one state of Para, deforestation has decreased by 21%. Still, he accounts for one-third of all forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon. Some of the tree cutting and burning takes place in protected areas. One such area is Palu State Forest, where the nonprofit Amazon Human Environment Institute recorded 2 square kilometers of deforestation in his October alone.
“In recent years, deforestation has extended to protected areas that were previously largely undisturbed,” said Jaquelin Pereira, a researcher at the Amazon Institute. regionthe destruction is driven by lease of land for soybean crops and cattle. ”
The Bolsonaro government has been accused of supporting legislative measures designed to undermine environmental institutions and ease land protections that favor economic development.
Brazil’s president-elect Da Silva recently promised a cheering crowd at the UN climate conference in Egypt to end all deforestation across the country by 2030.
Deforestation declined sharply between 2003 and 2010, when da Silva was president. On the other hand, he favored measures to initiate destruction in the long term. These included his support for the huge Belomonte hydroelectric dam project and providing hefty loans to the beef industry. Deforestation to create cattle feeding grounds is a major driver of deforestation.
The Amazon rainforest covers an area twice the size of India.it works as buffer Combat climate change by taking in large amounts of carbon dioxide.that’s the best biodiversity The Forest of the World and home to the tribes that have lived in the area for thousands of years.
I’m Brian Lynn.
The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn edited the report for VOA Learning English.
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the words of this story
monitor –v. Observe something carefully and record the results
correct – adjective right or true
region –n. specific region
lease –v. to allow someone to use a piece of land in exchange for money
buffer –n. something that helps protect someone or something from harm
biodiversity – adjective have many different kinds of plants and animals
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