SANTIAGO (Reuters) – deforestation in the Amazon region of Brazil fell to its lowest in 23 years in the past year to July, said Monday the Government, which attributed the descent to its tougher stance against logging illegal.
The destruction of the Brazilian portion of the world’s largest tropical forests fell 11 per cent to 6.238 square kilometres in the period of 12 months, as they showed data by satellite of the National Institute for space research of Brazil.
The figure is less than a quarter of the area that was destroyed in 2004, when the logging carried out by farmers to expand their land for farming and soy plantations operations peaked recently.
Brazil has increased its monitoring and defence policies of the Amazon in recent years, but the improvement has been driven in part by a slower global economic growth which has reduced demand and prices of Agriculture of the country.
Improvement overall in 2010-11 hidden worrying increases in some Amazon States such as Rondonia, where deforestation has doubled over the previous year. The felling of the forest in the agricultural State of Mato Grosso increased a % 20.
“Some States are still extremely delicate,” told reporters the Minister of environment, Isabel Teixeira. “Rondônia must be clarified, need to understand what has caused the change in your profile”.
Two large hydroelectric dams are being built in Rondonia, which has boosted the local economy and has attracted migrant workers.
The lower rate of deforestation occurs while the Brazil Congress debate a modernization of the land law which according to ecologists would be a severe setback to conservation efforts. Is expected that the Senate approve the new forestry code in the next few days.
The influential Brazil agricultural pressure group said that the reform, which flexibilizarÃa for the owners of land, environmental requirements is necessary to put an end to uncertainty widespread current standards, which according to farmers is a burden on the production.
