03/07/2024 – 21:54
Deforestation alerts in the Amazon fell 51.1% from August 2023 to June 2024 compared to the previous 11 months. This was the largest drop since 2016. Even so, deforestation reached 3,644 km². In contrast, environmental destruction in the Cerrado grew 14.6% in the same period, reaching 6,571 km² of devastation.
The figures released this Wednesday, the 3rd, by the Ministries of the Environment and Science and Technology were collected by Deter, from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The satellite monitoring system collected data between August 2023 and June of this year.
The drop in deforestation in the Amazon was driven by the results of four states: Pará (47.3%), Mato Grosso (53.3%), Amazonas (55.7%) and Rondônia (66.7%). The biome also recorded a 59.3% drop in the 70 priority municipalities defined by the Ministry of the Environment.
The executive secretary of the Ministry of the Environment, João Paulo Capobianco, stated that the decline in deforestation occurred in all states located in the biome. “It is a reality that is spreading throughout the Amazon,” he said. “It is a trend that is emerging, but it is not yet consolidated. This is extremely important news, because we had the Cerrado growing rapidly,” he added.
The minister in charge of the department, Marina Silva, stated that, “if we continue on this path, we will achieve zero deforestation” in the Amazon by 2026.
The positive results from the Amazon, which is attracting international attention, contrast with the data from the Cerrado. The country’s second largest biome recorded a 24.3% drop in June this year, but recorded increases in the last four months of last year compared to 2022.
Bahia, a state that has part of its territory in the biome, recorded a 52% drop in deforestation. However, Tocantins, Maranhão and Piauí saw increases of 69.5%, 36.8% and 13.5%, respectively. “We are working on a pact for the Cerrado,” said Marina.
The Ministry of the Environment also released data on the Atlantic Forest. The biome has a different system for measuring deforestation, the Prodes satellite. The tool recorded a 25.2% drop in deforestation in 2023 compared to 2022.
Data for 2024 is not yet available. The drop recorded last year was the largest in the historical series, which began in 2019.
Ibama strike and AGU action
Minister Marina Silva commented on the decision of the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) to file a lawsuit with the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) to suspend the strike by employees of the Brazilian Institute of the Environment (Ibama). According to the head of the environmental department, the judicialization of the strikes was an exclusive decision of the AGU. “On our part, dialogue is ongoing,” she stated.
The strike by civil servants linked to federal environmental agencies began on June 24. The stoppage occurs six months after the start of negotiations with the Lula government in search of career restructuring and salary increases.
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