Deforestation of the Amazon Forest in August 2009 decreased 34% over the same month in 2008. The area cleared last month, indicated by Deter, was 498.1 km². And the state which had the highest rate of forest destruction was Pará, with 301.18 km², followed by Mato Grosso (105.24 km²) and Rondônia (50.93 km²). The data was released on the afternoon of Thursday (09/24) by Inpe (National Institute for Space Research) and reviewed by the Brazilian minister of Environment, Carlos Minc, at a press conference.
According to the minister, the low incidence clouds in the area monitored by Deter in August "allowed the data collected to be very close to reality". In the period from January to August 2009, there was a fall of 57% compared to the same period in 2008. And when compared to the deforestation of the last month of July, the drop was of 40%.
According to the minister, in 2009 deforestation will be the lowest of the last twenty years. "For the first time in twenty years, [deforestation] is lower than 9,000 km²." Minc said the lowest previously recorded rate of deforestation was in 1991 when 11,100 km² was recorded (August-July).
In spite of the rates recorded by the monitoring system, Carlos Minc said he is still not satisfied. "I do not celebrate; I always think that the drop in deforestation is not satisfactory. I want zero deforestation."
Even so, the minister admitted that the fall is significant. "The decline shows that we've been working hard, fighting against environmental crimes, combating impunity and creating alternatives, which will be the solution to a more sustainable future", he said. "But we still have a lot of work to do", he added.
NEW FRONTS - Minc took the chance to announce that actions similar to those of the Amazon have already started to be taken in the Cerrado and will also happen soon in the Caatinga. "All we're doing in the Amazon, we'll do in the Cerrado and Caatinga", said the minister.
DETER system is a monthly survey done by Inpe since May 2004. The system monitors, via satellite, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
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