New figures from the Brazilian government suggest that illegal logging has taken more trees of the Amazon rainforest than previously expected.
Satellite data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that, from August 2015 to June 2016, 7.989 square kilometers of forest has been destroyed. Last year this figure was 6.207 square kilometers.
While representing a increased deforestation rate Of 29 percent, from what was 24 percent last year, it is still far from the numbers that were obtained during the days of 2004. Then, it was 23.103 square kilometers to 24.398 km2 of forest that were cut down.
For quite some time, Brazil has been a model of action of the government in the conservation of the forest. What has changed is that the economic recession has hit the country hard, including the conservation agency, IBAMA. 30 percent less funding has led to less effective operations.
Conservation of the Amazon is something very important for Brazil. Deforestation puts more than half of the total biodiversity of trees in the forest at risk. It also harms approximately 180 indigenous groups living in and from the Amazon. It also helps the country to reach the agreements given in Paris just a year ago, since it is responsible for "eating" 2.000 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year.
But more importantly, its conservation efforts from 2004 to 2014 have been the model for other countries. The Brazilian government introduced a new series of methods in 2004. They were paired with satellite images that were able to show significant deforestation. The government also established protected areas and introduced fines for illegal logging.
Another of his methods was to reach agreements with indigenous tribes. A study carried out by the World Resources Institute showed that lands managed by these tribes were deforested two to three times slower than others. Indigenous tribes like the Kayapo, have been able to maintain their own ancestral lands from massive deforestation.
An Amazon that keep bringing surprises as this impressive coral reef.