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Brazilian deforestation drops dramatically in one year
03/09/2010
Deforestation in the Amazon has been found to have fallen dramatically in the last year, after new satellite surveying methods enabled accurate accounting of large-scale destruction.
Fortnightly detections by satellite sensors showed that 1,500 square kilometres of forest was lost between August 2009 and May 2010, compared with 3,000 square kilometers in the previous period.
The national environment agency of Brazil, Ibama, said the dramatic drop was a result of the improved methods being used to detect destruction on scales greater than 25 hectares. The agency said the technology could spot the felling of trees and also end loggers' ability to hide under cloud cover.
"We are winning another victory over deforestation in the world's largest and most important biome," Luciano Evaristo, Brazil's director of environmental protection. "Before [satellite data] we were looking blindly. But in 2010, all 244 actions were based on smart geo-processed data."
He agreed with government critics, however, that Ibama was understaffed. Currently the agency operates just 700-800 enforcement officers, responsible for patrolling an area four times the size of Western Europe. He acknowledged that the satellite data was making the officers' work more effective, but still said, "I wish we had 4,000".
Amazonian ecologist, Philip Fearnside, added that the drop had also been caused by a fall in demand for soy and beef consumption, which have traditionally been farmed on land formerly occupied by rainforest.
Fortnightly detections by satellite sensors showed that 1,500 square kilometres of forest was lost between August 2009 and May 2010, compared with 3,000 square kilometers in the previous period.
The national environment agency of Brazil, Ibama, said the dramatic drop was a result of the improved methods being used to detect destruction on scales greater than 25 hectares. The agency said the technology could spot the felling of trees and also end loggers' ability to hide under cloud cover.
"We are winning another victory over deforestation in the world's largest and most important biome," Luciano Evaristo, Brazil's director of environmental protection. "Before [satellite data] we were looking blindly. But in 2010, all 244 actions were based on smart geo-processed data."
He agreed with government critics, however, that Ibama was understaffed. Currently the agency operates just 700-800 enforcement officers, responsible for patrolling an area four times the size of Western Europe. He acknowledged that the satellite data was making the officers' work more effective, but still said, "I wish we had 4,000".
Amazonian ecologist, Philip Fearnside, added that the drop had also been caused by a fall in demand for soy and beef consumption, which have traditionally been farmed on land formerly occupied by rainforest.
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