Although the area, which is equivalent to more than 29,000 soccer fields, only contemplates data up to February 17, it represents a up from previous recordof 199 square kilometers destroyed in the entire month of February 2021last year of the government of Jair Bolsonaro.
Last month, satellite monitoring had reported a 61% drop compared to the same period in 2022although environmental organizations had warned that it was premature to speak of a “reversal of the trend”, since part of the drop could be attributed to increased cloud cover which spoiled the calculations.
“Increased deforestation can be a reflection of the limitation in detection last month due to cloud cover, and what is being observed now may include both the destroyed area this month and also January,” said Daniel Silva, a conservation specialist with the NGO WWF-Brazil.
Deforestation during the administration of Bolsonaro and da Silva
Under the previous governmentan agribusiness ally and climate change denier, average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon increased 75.5% compared to the previous decade.
Lula, 77, took office at the beginning of this year for third time the presidency of Brazil with the jungle protection as one of his main flags to allow the country to stop being a “pariah” on climate issues.
The leftist president appointed as head of the Ministry of the Environment Marina Silvaa renowned environmentalist who was in charge of that portfolio between 2003 and 2008, when deforestation was significantly reduced.
Marina Silva.jpg
On January 24, Silva acknowledged that the environmental reality in Brazil is “much worse” than expected.
“We know that there is an effort to control deforestation, but concrete results should take time to be observed”, added the WWF-Brazil expert.
Source: Ambito
