Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon during the first two months of 2024 reached its lowest level for this period in the past six years, according to a report released Monday.
In January and February, 196 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest were deforested, marking a 63 percent reduction compared to the same timeframe in 2023.
This area is equivalent to nearly 327 soccer fields daily, as reported by the environmental group Imazon, which sourced the data from its Deforestation Alert System (SAD).
\"The first two months of 2024 ended with the lowest amount of forest clearing in the last six years, since 2018,\" stated the organization, which has conducted satellite monitoring for nearly two decades.
Among Brazil's nine Amazonian states, three — Amazonas, Mato Grosso, and Roraima — were responsible for 77 percent of the deforested area in January and February.
The report highlighted that deforestation in Roraima has intruded on Indigenous lands, including territories inhabited by the Yanomami people.
The Yanomami community has been suffering from a humanitarian crisis attributed to illegal gold mining, which is not only destroying the jungle but also contaminating rivers.
The government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged to combat deforestation, a problem that significantly escalated under his predecessor, agribusiness ally Jair Bolsonaro, who served from 2019 through 2022.
\"The data shows that we still have a great challenge ahead,\" said Larissa Amorim, a researcher with Imazon. \"Achieving the zero deforestation goal promised by Lula by 2030 is exceedingly necessary to combat climate change.\"
Reference(s):
Brazil Amazon deforestation lowest in Jan.-Feb. period since 2018
cgtn.com
