Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 66% last month compared to July 2022 and is now at its lowest rate in six years, according to preliminary data released by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) on Thursday (3).
Almost 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) of rainforest were deforested in July, a significant drop from the 1,487 square kilometers (574 square miles) deforested last July.
There has been a sharp decline in deforestation since Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in January. Lula promised to end deforestation, which surged during the administration of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Environment Minister Marina Silva stated that the government’s policies, including increased surveillance and fines for illegal deforestation, have played a crucial role in reducing deforestation rates.
The preliminary data is expected to be confirmed in the coming days and comes as countries sharing parts of the Amazon prepare to meet on August 8 and 9 in the Brazilian city of Belém for a summit aimed at enhancing the protection of the rainforest.
The reduced deforestation rate is positive news at a time when the Amazon remains critically vulnerable.
Some scientists warn that the rainforest may be approaching a critical tipping point that could transform it into a grassland savanna. This would have enormous implications for biodiversity as well as the climate crisis – the Amazon stores large amounts of carbon and has a significant impact on global weather patterns.
It also provides some hope that rates of tropical forest destruction may begin to decline globally. In 2022, an area of tropical forest the size of Switzerland was lost, as forest destruction increased by 10% compared to the previous year, according to a recent report from Global Forest Watch of the World Resources Institute (WRI).
Source: CNN