Data from INPE show a 48% reduction in Amazon deforestation

Data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) released on Monday (June 7) by the Minister of the Environment, Izabella Teixeira, indicate a 48% drop in Amazon deforestation between August 2009 and April 2010, compared to the same previous period.

Despite the drop registered in the months of March and April 2010, deforestation was 49 km² greater than in the same months of last year. To the minister, this increase is due to the reduction in the amount of clouds covering the Amazon region. This year, the visibility of the forest was about 25% higher than last year.

The Interministerial Commission to Fight Environmental Crimes and Offenses (CICCIA) begins this week to implement a plan to curb Amazon deforestation during the period of the year with a greater tendency to deforestation due to reduced rainfall in the North Region.

In seven years, Pantanal has lost 2.82% of its total area

Between the years 2002 and 2008, an area of 4,279 km² was deforested, which is equivalent to 2.82% of the biome's total area (151,313 km²). The average annual rate of deforestation reported in these seven years was 713 km², or 0.47%. The third Brazilian biome to have its monitoring data released, the Pantanal registered the second highest deforestation rate during the same period (2002-2008). The highest deforestation rate was registered in the Cerrado.

The mapping of the deforested area was conducted by IBAMA, which only took into account the limits of the Pantanal biome, disregarding the area of the Upper Paraguay River Basin, because the source of the Paraguay River is in the area of the Cerrado.

According to Izabella, among the main causes for deforestation in the Pantanal are charcoal production and expansion of areas for pasture. The minister explained that the creation of new Protected Areas in the region would be a good way to curb deforestation, but according to her, the Federal Government still lacks detailed studies for this proposition.

The Pantanal is the third Brazilian biome to have its deforestation monitored. Soon, the deforestation rates of the Pampa and of the Atlantic Forest will be presented by the MMA. It is expected that, by the end of this year, data from all the Brazilian biomes for the period 2008-2009 will be released.