SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest reached a record for October, data showed on Friday, with land-clearing within the region speeding up because the country undergoes a transition to a more conservation-friendly government.
Preliminary government satellite data collected by space research agency Inpe showed that 903.86 square kilometers (348.98 square miles) were cleared within the region last month, the best for the period since tracking began in 2015 and up 3.1% year-on-year.
From January to October, 9,494 square kilometers were cleared, equal to an area greater than 12 times the scale of Recent York City and in addition a record for the period, exceeding the previous high set in 2019 by 12.7%.
Incoming leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to curb deforestation within the Amazon by bolstering law enforcement.
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He’ll take over on Jan. 1 from far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who rolled back environmental protections during his time in office.
Annual statistics released last 12 months showed deforestation had already surged to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro.
His office and the Environment Ministry didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Mariana Napolitano, WWF-Brasil’s science manager, said she already expected deforestation to spike in the course of the transition period, highlighting how fire alerts have rocketed for the reason that election was declared in Lula’s favour on Oct. 30.
“Those that cash in on illegality noticed there continues to be a possibility window opened however it’s about to shut. Those figures are really scary,” she said.
Fire alerts in the primary ten days of November have nearly matched those reported in all of that month in 2021, Inpe data showed. The burning season within the Amazon, when rains subside, often occurs between August and September.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; editing by John Stonestreet)
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