Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon falls 68% in April

In the fourth month of the new government, which promeyour end deforestation in the rainforest, the destroyed area was 328,71 km2, according to satellite data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

This represents a 68% reduction compared to the 1.026 km2 deforested in April 2022, the last year of the far-right Jair Bolsonaro's government.

It is the best result so far in 2023, after a 61% drop in January compared to the same month in 2022, an increase of 62% in February, when deforestation was a record for that month and another increase of 14% in March.

“There are signs of improvement in the Amazon,” Daniel Silva, a conservation specialist at the NGO WWF Brasil, told AFP.

“The last 4 months indicate a 40% reduction in this area compared to the same period last year (…) This is very positive information, but we have to wait a little further in the deforestation period to be able to talk about a downward trend”, normally from July onwards, he said.

Silva warned about the situation of the Cerrado, a tropical savannah of enormous diversity located in the south of the Amazon, which in the first four months recorded a 60% increase in deforestation.

“It is urgent that the government develop a very robust plan to combat deforestation in the Cerrado”, which has already lost “half of its original area”.

Cerrado deforestation grows in the first quarter of 2023

Deforestation in the Cerrado reached 188,2 thousand hectares in the first quarter of this year. This number represents 35% more than that recorded in the first three months of the previous year, when 139,8 thousand hectares were deforested, according to data from SAD Cerrado (Cerrado Deforestation Alert System) released this Friday (14) . Despite the increase in the first quarter, the record of deforestation alerts for the month of March decreased compared to February this year (reduction of 31,9 thousand hectares). 🌳

Experts assure that the destruction of Amazon It is mainly due to the expansion of farms and land usurpers who deforest for agricultural and livestock activities.

After four years of Bolsonaro's government, which according to experts weakened regulations and environmental protection bodies, Lula promemake the preservation of the Amazon a priority of your mandate and end illegal deforestation by 2030.

In its first months, it reactivated environmental policies, resumed the demarcation of indigenous territories - considered fundamental for preservation - and obtained the promess donation by the United Kingdom of more than 100 million dollars (the equivalent of more than 496 million reais at current prices) for the Amazon Fund, created in 2008 to preserve the forest and which has Norway as its main donor.

What is the Amazon Fund?

The Federal Supreme Court (STF) began judging this Thursday (6) an action that alleges the federal government's omission in not executing the Amazon Fund funds. But do you know what the Amazon Fund is? And why is he on trial at the STF?

After a visit by Lula, American President Joe Biden also recently announced a donation of 500 million dollars (the equivalent of around 2,48 billion reais at current exchange rates) to the fund, although it must be approved in Congress .

Biden announces US contribution of R$2,5 billion to the Amazon Fund

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, announced this Thursday (20) his intention to contribute US$500 million – equivalent to R$2,5 billion – to the Amazon Fund over the next 5 years. He still needs Congressional approval to release the resources. 💰

Under Bolsonaro's presidency, average annual deforestation in the Amazon increased by 75% compared to the previous decade.

(With AFP)

Read also

Deforestation could lead to permanent damage to the Amazon, warns World Bank

The document “Delicate Balance for the Brazilian Legal Amazon: An Economic Memorandum”, released by the World Bank on Tuesday (9), points out that deforestation in the Amazon region is linked to activities such as livestock farming, the expansion of the agricultural frontier and mining. And rampant deforestation could take the forest to a point where it would no longer be possible to reverse its harmful effects.

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