Written by Karina Miotto
Friday, 23 September 2011 13:02
According to the Deforestation Alert System (SAD) from the Man and Environment of the Amazon Institute (Imazon), deforestation in the Legal Amazon in August was of 240 km², a 15% increase as compared to the same month in 2010, when deforestation had reached 209 km². The state of Pará, with 49%, heads the list of states that deforest the most, followed by Rondônia (19%), Mato Grosso (15%), Amazonas (9%), Acre (4%), Roraima (3%) and Tocantins (1%).
With regard to degraded forests, in other words, those that have been exploited employing slash and burn activities or by logging activities, the results of the Institute’s analysis show a contrary path as far as deforestation is concerned. In August this year, there were 131 km² of degraded forests, a 92% reduction with regard to the same month last year (1.555km²). Most of this is in Mato Grosso, with 58%, followed by Pará (21%), Amazonas (7%), Rondônia (7%), Roraima (5%) and Acre (2%).
 |
"Last year, Brazil was on fire, especially in the state of Mato Grosso. For this reason, forest degradation was quite high. This year, it is within normal expectations for the dry season, a period in which there are many slash and burn, exploitation and deforestation activities. With regard to the increase in deforestation, this can be related to the hydroelectric power plant effect from Jirau and Santo Antonio power plants in River Madeira, in Rondônia and from Belo Monte, in the region of Altamira, in Pará. The debate over the Forest Code also put pressure on these numbers”, says Sanae Hayashi, a researcher from Imazon.
