Between August 2021 and July 2022, 11,568 km2 of tropical forests were destroyed, an area equivalent to Qatar, according to data from the PRODES deforestation monitoring system of the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
This represents a drop of 11.3% compared to the period August 2020-July 2021, when the INPE detected 13,083 km2 deforested, a record in 15 years.
But when considering the last four years, the data reveals that under the Bolsonaro government, average annual deforestation increased 59.5% compared to the previous four years, and advanced 75.5% compared to the previous decade, according to figures from the institute.
“The Bolsonaro government was a machine to destroy the jungle (…) the only good news is that it is about to end,” Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the environmental NGO Observatorio do Clima, said in a statement.
Bolsonaro lost re-election in October to former leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who promised to work to eliminate deforestation by 2030 once he takes power on January 1.
“The destruction continues out of control. Jair Bolsonaro will hand over to his successor a dirty legacy, with increased logging and the Amazon on fire, ”added Astrini.
The specialist urged Lula – whose own environmental legacy between 2003 and 2010 has been criticized – to adopt a policy of “zero tolerance” against environmental crimes.
Lula, who attended the UN climate conference in Egypt (COP27) as president-elect, promised to increase the greenhouse gas reduction goals agreed by Brazil in the Paris Agreement and reactivate the internationally financed Amazon Fund to protect the jungle, among other environmental measures.
Experts attribute deforestation mainly to the felling of trees to make room for pasture for cattle and agricultural surfaces.
The outgoing president has been accused by environmentalists of weakening protection programs and promoting destruction with his defense of mining and the economic exploitation of protected areas.
The Amazon corresponds to 59% of the Brazilian territory, distributed among nine states. Sa preservation is considered vital in the fight against climate change.
“The Amazon is getting closer to its point of no return,” Mariana Napolitano, Science Manager of the World Wide Fund for Nature in Brazil (WWF) said in a statement.
“Significantly reducing deforestation until it is completely eliminated by 2030 is a humanitarian imperative in the face of the double crisis that the planet is facing, climate and biodiversity loss,” he added.
The entrance Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell in the last year, but rose 60% under Bolsonaro was first published on newspaper TODAY.
