Deforestation of the Amazon forest last year increased 40 percent, compared with 2001, as Brazil registered the second-highest figure since it started to monitor the deforestation 15 years ago, according to a report to be released next week in the country.
The report, prepared by the country's National Institute of Space Research, indicates that the forest lost 25,500 square kilometers, an area bigger than the state of Sergipe in northeastern Brazil. According to Sao Paulo Environment Secretary Jose Goldemberg, the lost forest could have absorbed several times more carbon dioxide than was emitted in Brazil in 2001, including emissions from the transportation and energy sectors and from all industries.
"After a decade, between 1978 and 1988, in which the annual level of deforestation was 21,130 square kilometers, we saw a reduction to 11,130 square kilometers due to the end of subsidy for deforestation and better control in the area," said Goldemberg.
"In 1995, however, deforestation reached a record 29,059 square kilometers because of the economic plan that introduced the new currency, the real, which created an incentive for industries to explore the resources of the forest. Now, we see a new peak, which is alarming, because the economy is in contraction, unlike in 1995," he said.
According to Institute of Amazon Environmental Research expert Ane Alencar, part of the deforestation can be attributed to the cultivation of soy in a large portion of the forest. "I have not seen the numbers yet, but I would say that one of the reasons for the problem is the investment in large-scale agriculture," Alencar said (Liana John, O Estado de Sao Paulo, June 26, U.N. Wire translation).
In a statement, the Environment Ministry said that "because of the gravity of this figure, which indicates a great increase in deforestation in the last two years, different sectors of the government are analyzing the numbers in detail, so we can create measures to change those numbers."
A new $35 million Environment Ministry plan of action on deforestation, is expected to be announced Tuesday (Agencia Estado, June 25, U.N. Wire translation).
