Amazon rainforest destruction shows decline
16/11/2009
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has reported that between August 2008 and July 2009, the country’s Amazon rainforest resources declined by 7,000 square-kilometres. This is the smallest amount of territory lost in the Amazon since the institute began recording shrinkage in 1988.
The figure is also better than the Brazilian government had predicted; it expected 9,000 square-kilometres to be lost. The total 12 months earlier was 12,900 square-kilometres.
Inpe director, Gilberto Câmara, said on announcing the result of the study: “This is a substantial drop in the rate of decline. It's by far the smallest amount of destruction since Inpe began observing. It gives us great happiness to be able to confirm that the efforts of Brazilian society to contain the destruction of the Amazon has reached such as satisfactory level.”
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