Deforestation in the Amazon sets a new record for April

Brazil has set a regrettable new record. deforestation in April Amazon was higher in previous years compared to the same month. The lost forest area exceeded 1,000 square kilometers.

In the same month of 2021, 580 km was lost.^two Forest loss, which is already an unprecedented figure, but now the volume of destruction is 74% worse. Environmentalists are concerned about the course of the disaster.

Data was collected by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) for the first 29 days of April. Accumulated, more than 5,000 km lost in 2022^two Forest.

The numbers worried experts, who did not expect such a large loss of biodiversity during rainy seasons. In the coming months, there will be an increase in reconnaissance activity in the region as dry weather makes fires and chainsaws easier.

Another innovation was the number of alerts posted on Amazonas. For the first time, it was the state that lost the most forest area. Intense land grab activity disturbing the region was identified as a possible cause.

AND #sextou For land grabs, illegal loggers and Indian killers, the absolute record of deforestation warnings for April: 1,012 km2, 165% more than this month’s average. This month, which was still rainy for the first time in the series, the warnings exceeded 1,000 km2. pic.twitter.com/5uXAxa1yPq

— Climate Observatory (@obsclima) May 6, 2022

In the municipality of Lábrea, the BR-319 motorway connects Manaus to Porto Velho. A project by Tarcísio Freitas, former Minister of Infrastructure and São Paulo government candidate, aims to bridge this gap, but environmentalists warn that asphalt could quadruple deforestation.

Worrying though, one needs to be careful with the data. The Deter system used in the measure is responsible for guiding Ibama’s operation and allows very small areas of deforestation to escape.

On the other hand, the images obtained are subject to the effects of weather: the passage of clouds creates blind spots and therefore the deforestation volume in April may contain data from previous months.

Even so, the data is still alarming when compared to historical series. Climate Observatory general secretary Marcio Astrini said in a note that he blamed President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for the demolition.

“He has been victorious in turning the Amazon into a lawless zone and deforestation will be whatever the slums want it to be. The next president will have extreme difficulty in reversing this situation because crime has never been more comfortable in the region now,” said Asstrini.