Brazil has experienced a significant increase in rainforest destruction, with a 15% rise in primary loss in the Amazon between 2021 and 2022, according to a recent global report on rainforests.
The report highlights that most of this loss is due to deforestation caused by logging.
In 2022, Brazil lost 1.43 million hectares of virgin forest to non-fire-related reasons and 0.34 million hectares due to fires.
Specifically in the Amazon region, non-fire-related forest loss reached 330,919 hectares, while fire accounted for 27,531 hectares.
The states of Amazonas and Acre in the western part of Brazil have recorded the highest levels of virgin forest loss in 2022.
The report emphasizes that large-scale logging and land clearing, potentially for cattle grazing, are the main drivers of virgin forest loss in this region.
Additionally, land invasions from illegal mining and logging activities have particularly affected indigenous territories.
The 15% increase occurred during the last year of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s term, during which some environmental protections for indigenous lands and the rainforest were rolled back in favor of agribusiness.
Brazil continues to be the country with the highest loss of virgin forest globally, accounting for 43% of the total in 2022.
In June, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported a decrease of over 30% in deforestation alerts in the Amazon during the first five months of the year, coinciding with the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
President Lula recently presented a plan to combat deforestation, which had been previously implemented in 2004 during his first term and resulted in an 83% reduction in rainforest destruction within a decade.