The Brazilian Amazon lost about 18 trees per second in 2021 as deforestation in the country increased by more than 20 per cent, according to a satellite data-based report released on Monday.
The country lost some 16,557 square kilometres of indigenous vegetation in 2021 as per the Mapbiomas report. It is an area bigger than Northern Ireland.
In 2020, the area lost was 13,789 square kilometers. The report also stated that nearly 60 per cent of land deforested in 2021 was in the Amazon.
Clearing land for farming accounted for 97% deforestation
“In the Amazon alone, 111.6 hectares per hour or 1.9 hectares per minute were deforested, which is equivalent to about 18 trees per second,” according to Mapbiomas, a network of NGOs, universities and technology companies.
Clearing land for farming was the main driver, accounting for almost 97 per cent, it said, with illegal mining also being a major factor.
In the last three years, the tree cover lost in Brazil was about 42,000 square kilometres. Notably, it coincided with the presidency of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. “Almost the area of the state of Rio de Janeiro,” said the report.
Data from the National Institute of Space Research (INPE) show that between January and June 2022, the Brazilian Amazon lost 3,988 square kilometres to deforestation.
Moreover, government statistics state that the average annual Brazilian Amazon deforestation increased by 75 per cent during Bolsonaro’s presidency compared to a decade earlier. Environmentalists accuse Bolsonaro of actively encouraging deforestation for economic gain and of weakening research and protection agencies