The destruction of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has accelerated for the first time in four years, Brazilian officials say according to BBC online Saturday.
Satellite images show 11.968 sq km of land was cleared in the year to July, nearly 4 per cent higher than the year before. The government said the figure was unsatisfactory but could have been a lot worse if it had not taken action against illegal logging.
In recent years the Brazilian government has been able to celebrate three successive falls in deforestation. But the latest estimate from the National Institute for Space Research, known as INPE, shows that this trend has come to a halt.
In late 2007 and early 2008 there were signs that deforestation was on the rise again – with land said to be in demand for cattle and soya at a time when commodity prices were high.
In response the government announced a series of measures to clamp down on illegal logging, including a major operation involving police and environmental inspectors known as the “Arc of Fire”.
