05/01/2024 – 14:42
Deforestation in the Amazon fell by 50% in 2023, compared to 2022, according to the Deter system, from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe). On the other hand, the devastation of the Cerrado, the second largest Brazilian biome, increased by 43% in the period. In absolute data, there were 5,151 km2 and 7,828 km2 of deforested area in each ecosystem, respectively.
It is the first time that the Deter system, in operation since 2018, records a deforested area in the Cerrado, which occupies around 22% of the national territory, larger than that devastated in the Amazon, which covers more than 50% of the entire Brazilian territory. according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The numbers also represent the highest level of deforestation in the Cerrado ever recorded by Deter, and the lowest in the Amazon.
The states of Pará, Mato Grosso, Maranhão, Tocantins and Bahia have the largest devastated areas, with the municipality of São Desidério (BA) being the one with the greatest degradation of the Cerrado in the year (357 km2) and Altamira (PA) being the one with the greatest degradation of the Cerrado. Amazon in the year (1,284 km2).
The loss of vegetation in the two biomes, combined, was 12,979 km2 in 2023, a value 18% lower than in 2022 (15,740 km2). Putting it into perspective, it is as if Brazil went from losing ten cities of São Paulo in vegetation in one year, to losing 8.
The report contacted the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to comment on the data and the situation in the Amazon and Cerrado, but has not yet received a response. The Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva government has, since the beginning of its administration, promoted the environmental agenda as one of its banners; Their efforts have been seen as positive, but still fall short of what is needed by experts.
Last year, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) had already admitted to the Estadão that the structure to combat fire in the Amazon is insufficient. “Obviously, we have to plan better, have better structures,” said Rodrigo Agostinho, president of the body under the management of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
This week, on Tuesday, the 2nd, Ibama officials announced the suspension of their inspection activities to combat deforestation, illegal mining and preventing and combating forest fires, which could worsen the situation. “It is a direct response to the lack of action and effective support for servers and the critical missions we perform”, they explained on the occasion.
Extreme weather events, such as those caused by the intensification of El Niño – including fires in the Amazon and Cerrado throughout 2023 – also contribute to increasing the problem and require more effective and coordinated action from the federal government.
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