Area grew 363% in 39 years, which represents an expansion of 46.3 million hectares, according to data from Mapbiomas
The opening of pasture was the main factor for deforestation in the Amazon between 1985 and 2023. A report from Mapbiomasreleased this Thursday (3.Oct.2024) shows that the area for this purpose grew by more than 363% – an expansion of 46.3 million hectares in 39 years.
Around 90% of the deforested region had pasture as its primary use. The most affected area is known as Amacro, made up of the states of Amazonas, Acre and Rondônia. The pasture area increased 11 times, with 7 million hectares of the biome lost in the period.
In 2020, researchers observed that 77% of the area devastated since 1987 was still used for livestock farming. Only 12% of the deforested area returned to native vegetation. Here’s the complete of the research (PDF – 30 MB).
Considering the expansion of pasture by state, Tocantins had the greatest growth in its Amazonian territory, which went from 34% to 77%. It is followed by Maranhão (14% to 48%) and Rondônia (6% to 39%).
AGRICULTURAL AREA GROWED 417%
The use of land in the Amazon for agricultural activities grew 417% between 1985 and 2023. It was a jump from 154 thousand hectares to 7.3 million. Around 80% is used for soybean cultivation. Forestry increased 110 times, comprising 360 thousand hectares in 2023. Sugarcane also increased its participation in the region, with 90 hectares.
AMAZON LOST 14% OF VEGETATION
The largest Brazilian biome lost 55.3 million hectares in 39 years, which represents 14% of the biome’s total. According to Mapbiomas, the number is “alarming” and can lead to “point of no return”.
At this stage, the “The Amazon biome would lose its ability to maintain essential ecological functions and recover from disturbances such as fires and logging, resulting in irreversible degradation of the forest”, says Jailson Soares, researcher at Imazon and the Amazônia team at MapBiomas.
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