The Amazon tropical rainforest has an area of approximately 3.4 million-square mile. It currently represents more than half of the remaining tropical rain forests in the world. It is located in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. According to some scientists, as a result of deforestation, more than 50 percent of the Amazon forest is in danger of turning into a non-viable savanna.
The rainforest is a vital repository of carbon dioxide and plays a crucial role in the fight against climate change, a reality the president denies. The Amazon is also home to 10 percent of all known plant and animal species.
Amazon Rainforest Deforestation
Over the course of the past four decades, the jungle has lost a staggering 18 percent of its territory, according to Greenpeace. Rate of deforestation has been steadily increasing in recent years. About 4900 square miles of the world’s largest rainforest, an area about five times larger than London, was destroyed between August 2017 and July 2018.
Bolsonaro Put the Amazon in the Hands of Miners on the First Day in the President’s Office
After the Brazilian right-wing government, led by President Jaira Bolsonar, continues to grant a free license for illegal logging, agricultural and mining activities, the Brazilian Amazon rainforest has suffered a surge in deforestation in recent months, reaching unprecedented levels in May. According to data from the government’s satellite monitoring agency, the Brazilian Amazon lost about 285 square miles in May, the Guardian reports. Environmentalists fear that the government of Bolsonaro and its Ministry of Environment will continue to build the interests of mining and industrial agriculture over the protection of rainforests.
The Brazilian Government Boycotts Environmental Policy
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the president’s oldest son, introduced a bill last month that would remove the obligation of farmers to designate a minimum percentage of their property to natural vegetation. The measure would open up an area of over 412 million acre to the extractive industry. According to senators, Flavio Bolsonaro and Marcio Bittar, it is necessity to further occupy the Amazon region and exploit its natural resources.
However, deforestation for a vital land planet is not only due to the woodworking monopolies, but also to the natives who want to land for crops.
Source:themindunleashed.com/2019/06/deforestation-brazilian-amazon-rainforest-record-high.html
