Amazon destruction up slightly

2008-11-29 14:08

Sao Paulo - Destruction of Brazil's vast Amazon rain forest appeared to accelerate slightly over the past year after slowing since 2004, the government said on Friday.

The National Space Research Institute announced that satellite images showed a total of 12 000 square kilometres were deforested from August of 2007 through July 2008 - an area about twice the size of the state of Delaware, or one-fourth of Switzerland.

That's about 3.8% more land deforested than the 11 500 square kilometres destroyed during the previous 12-month period.

The space institute said the 3.8 increase fell within the survey's five percentage point margin of error.

Environment Minister Carlos Minc said that an even larger reversal was anticipated, on the order of 14 000 square kilometres.

The Agencia Brasil news service quoted Minc as saying deforestation had been "stabilised".

But stabilisation is not enough, he said: "What I want is zero deforestation."

Annual deforestation reached a high of 27 380 square kilometres in 2004 - more than twice the current rate.

Deforestation picked up in late 2007 and early 2008, as commodity prices increased.

Environmentalists say increased demand for agricultural products, particularly soy and beef, prompted farmers to carve fields and pastures from the rain forest.

Carlos Alberto Scaramuzza, of the World Wildlife Fund, told Agencia Brasil the latest deforestation figures were a "positive surprise".

He agreed with Minc that they indicated a certain stabilisation.

But Paulo Adario, director of Greenpeace's Amazon campaign, said the new destruction numbers "represent a setback because they reverse the downward trend verified over the past three years".

- AP