Amazon rainforest degradation in Brazil up 224 percent in July 2018
By Stefania Costa
24 August 2018(Imazon) – SAD detected an increase of 39 percent deforestation and 224 percent degradation in one year in the Amazon rainforest (August 2017 to July 2018 compared to August 2016 and July 2017).In July 2018, SAD detected 778 square kilometers of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. In this bulletin, the fraction of deforestation between 1 and 10 hectares was 11% of the total detected (89 square kilometers). Considering only the alerts from 10 hectares, there was an increase of 27% in relation to July 2017, when deforestation totaled 544 square kilometers. In July 2018, deforestation occurred in Pará (37%), Amazonas (21%), Rondônia (20%), Mato Grosso (17%) and Acre (5%).The degraded forests in the Legal Amazon totaled 356 square kilometers in July 2018. In July 2017, the detected forest degradation totaled 46 square kilometers. In July 2018, degradation was detected in the states of Pará (95%), Mato Grosso (3%), and Rondônia (2%).In July 2018, the majority (62%) of deforestation occurred in private areas or under various stages of ownership. The remaining deforestation was recorded in Agrarian Reform Settlements (19%), Conservation Units (15%) and Indigenous Lands (4%). [Translation by Google.]
