Deforestation in the Amazon falls in the first month of the Lula government

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest decreased in January from a year earlier, satellite data showed on Friday, in the first release of monthly data under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Preliminary satellite data collected by the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) showed 167 square kilometers deforested in the region last month, a 61% drop from January 2022, which recorded its worst score for the month in eight years. .

In mid-January, the environmental agents launched their first actions against deforestation under the command of Lula, who promised to end the growing destruction of the forest recorded in the government of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

January’s deforestation was also lower than the historical average of 196 square kilometers for the month since 2016, though January’s data may have been particularly impacted by heavy clouds over the forest earlier in the year.

“The observation of a significant drop in deforestation data for January 2023 (especially in the Amazon) compared to the same period last year is positive,” explains Daniel Silva, Conservation Specialist at WWF-Brazil

“However, it is still too early to talk about a trend reversal, as part of this decline could be related to more cloud cover over the period. The Deter system uses satellite images with optical sensors that can be affected by the occurrence of clouds. Therefore, we will have to be attentive to the data for the coming months,” she added.

He noted that January’s data represents the first year-over-year decline in five months.

The new numbers come after Reuters reported exclusively on Thursday that the United States is considering its first contribution to the Amazon Fund, an initiative aimed at fighting rainforest deforestation, with a possible announcement during President Joe Biden’s meeting with Lula at the White House this Friday.

The Amazon Fund, administered by Brazil and backed mostly by Norway and Germany, was reactivated by Environment Minister Marina Silva the day she took office last month after being frozen since 2019 under the Bolsonaro government. .

Even with a strong start to the year, experts and IBAMA officials warn it could take years for Lula to meet conservation goals after Bolsonaro cuts funding and staffs key agencies.

The government is also fighting illegal mining on Yanomami lands, the country’s largest indigenous reserve, amid a humanitarian crisis that has left thousands of indigenous people starving and falling ill from the harmful effects of mining.

Source: Terra

Rose

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