Brazil deforestation hits new record
The record, the third in four months, is the latest damning statistic on the Amazon's accelerating decline under President Jair Bolsonaro.
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Illegal deforestation found in the indigenous Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau territory (AFP)
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon shattered the April record, destroying more than 1,000 square kilometers of the world's largest rainforest, nearly doubling the previous high, according to official figures released Friday.
The record, the third in four months, is the latest damning statistic on the Amazon's accelerating decline under President Jair Bolsonaro.
According to the INPE's Deter monitoring system, satellite images show a total area of destroyed forest cover of 1,012.5 square kilometers (391 square miles) from April 1 to 29, with the last day of the month yet to be analyzed.
The area, which is roughly equivalent to 1,400 football fields, is by far the largest since records began in 2015.
Deforestation is typically slower in April, the Amazon's rainy season. The previous monthly record was 580 square kilometers, set last year – also during Bolsonaro's tenure.
"This figure is extremely high for this period of the year," Mariana Napolitano, science director at the World Wildlife Fund's Brazil office, said in a statement.
"It's an alert of the immense pressure the forest is under," she added.
Experts warn that Brazil may experience its fourth consecutive year of decade-high deforestation this year, following monthly records in January and February.
Since Bolsonaro's election in 2019, average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has increased by more than 75% compared to the previous decade, to an area roughly the size of Qatar.
It is worth mentioning that the far-right President has faced international condemnation over the damage to the Amazon.
