Amazon loses 76 km ² of forest in March

Amazon deforestation rose again, according to Imazon. In March, the forest lost 76 square kilometers (km ²) of vegetation, a 35% increase over the same month in 2009.

Please note: This article is in Portuguese.

Photo courtesy of Rodrigo Baleia/Greenpeace

Is deforestation rising or falling in the Amazon?

Last week Brazil's National Space Agency INPE reported a 51 percent drop in Amazon deforestation in the six months ended February 2010 compared with the year earlier period. But the seemingly happy news for environmentalists may be premature.

Photo courtesy of apoloniox70/Flickr

Brazilian slaughterhouses fail to fully meet first deadline for stopping Amazon deforestation

Brazil has become one of the world’s leading exporters of beef, leather, and other cattle products, and the country’s government is fostering further development of this sector. If they want to keep leading the global market, it is in the Brazilian slaughterhouses’ best interest to ensure cattle do not come from newly deforested parts of the Amazon or ranches that profit from the use of slave labor.

Photo courtesy of Leonardo Freitas/Flickr

Imazon records deforestation of 79 square kilometers in December and January

Imazon warns that deforestation data in this period may be underestimated, since in December 2009 and January 2010 there was a lot of cloud cover, hiding approximately 50% of the Amazon. The regions most affected by cloud cover were Amapá, Amazonas and Pará. In addition, part of Maranhão that make up the Amazon was not analyzed.

Please note: This article is in Portuguese.

Photo courtesy of Stacy/Google Picasa

Deforestation in Amazon rainforest up 21% in November

The study by the Amazon Institute of People and the Environment (Imazon), a non-government organization, said the greatest deforestation was registered in the northern state of Para, which lost 51 square km of forests in November, 69 percent of the total newly deforested area.

[Photograph by: Alberto Cesar/Greenpeace]

Imazon detects 75 km ² of deforestation in the Amazon in November

The number of 75 km ² is 21% higher than in November 2008, when deforestation was 61 km ².

Please note: This article is in Portuguese.

[Photograph by: Leonardo Freitas]

Starting with monitoring

Nevertheless, the monitoring system, both Deter and Prodes, is crucial in Brazil's efforts to scale back deforestation.

[Photograph by: leoffreitas]

Brazil unveils first foreign-funded Amazon projects

The Amazonas state government will receive 20 million reais for a fund that pays rubber tappers and other forest dwellers a stipend to help protect and regenerate the forest.

[Photograph by: iStockphoto]

Imazon detects deforestation of 194 km ² in the Amazon in October

The state with the most devastation in October was Pará (45%), followed by Mato Grosso (22%) and Rondônia (13%). Together, the three represent 80% of total cleared forest. Then come Amazonas (9%), Roraima (6%), Amapá (3%) and Acre (2%).

Please note: This article is in Portuguese.

[Map by: Volunteer Brazil]

Amazon loses 273 km ² of forest in August, says Imazon

The institute said in August 2009, deforestation increased by 167% over the same period last year. Imazon recorded the highest proportion ever found of deforestation in protected areas: 100 square kilometers deforested where deforestation should be zero.

Please note: This article is in Portuguese.

[Photograph by: Alberto Cesar/Greenpeace]