Vast areas of virgin forest went up in smoke in 2019, equivalent to the size of Switzerland, with Brazil accounting for more than a third of these losses, according to a study published on Tuesday. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia come in second and third place for the loss of these forests, which have been destroyed to make way for livestock or plantations, according to the annual report of Global Forest Watch, based on satellite data.
About 38,000 km² were destroyed last year, the equivalent of a football field every six seconds, making 2019 the third most devastating year for primary forests in two decades. The total area of tropical forest destroyed by fire and bulldozers worldwide in 2019 was actually three times as large, but primary forests are particularly valuable. They are home to a very wide variety of species present on Earth and store huge quantities of CO2, which contributes to global warming once released.
Growing concerns in Brazil
"It will take decades, even centuries, for these forests to return to their original state," assuming that the land they covered is left alone, says Mikaela Weisse, who coordinates the Global Forest Watch for the think tank. American World Resources Institute (WRI).
Record deforestation in the Amazon since January https://t.co/WdyWaJk2TG
- 20 Minutes (@ 20Minutes) May 9, 2020Many new “hotspots” of deforestation have emerged. In the state of Para, for example, they correspond to illegal land grabbing in the indigenous reserve of Trincheira / Bacaja. And this took place before the government proposed new legislation easing mining, oil and gas extraction in these protected areas, as well as intensive agriculture. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gave the green light in February to this bill.
80% increase in Bolivia
The Covid-19 epidemic could make matters worse, not only in Brazil, which is particularly affected, but wherever it can weaken the already very weak application of the powers of the nations living in the tropical forests. Bolivia experienced unprecedented forest loss in 2019, 80% more than the previous record year, due to fires in primary and surrounding forests, mainly due to the raising and cultivation of soybeans mainly.
Indonesia, on the other hand, experienced a decrease of 5% in the total area of destroyed forests, 3,240 km2, for the third year in a row, an area almost three times smaller than in 2016, a record year.
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Brazil: Record deforestation in the Amazon since January
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