Deforestation down in Brazilian Amazon
Official data from space research agency Inpe has shown deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon rainforests fell by 10% in May, according to a report by Reuters.
Further data also revealed that land clearing in the Amazon had fallen 31% for the first five months of the year compared to the same period for 2022, providing some positive proof of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration’s strengthened efforts at protection.
In this period, fines amounting to over $400 million were levied by environment agency Ibama, an increase of 160% from the same time period during Bolsonaro’s term. The agency also placed embargoes on 2,225 farms for “environmental wrongdoing”.
Whilst positives are seen, deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado, a grassland biome that adjoins the rainforest, rose 83% in May compared with the previous year.
"May brought encouraging numbers for the Amazon, but unprecedented destruction for the Cerrado," said WWF-Brazil’s head of restoration and conservation, Edegar de Oliveira. The savannah is under "heavy pressure" from the agricultural sector, he added.
Photo by Conscious Design on Unsplash
