Amazon rainforest devastation marks end of Bolsonaro government Greenpeace int.

Manaus - 11.568 km² of the Amazon was deforested between July 2021 and August 2022, according to data released annually by Brazil's national research institute INPE PRODES. In the past four years, a total of 45.586 km² of forest has been destroyed, marking the end of Bolsonaro's government with a legacy of destruction.

“The past four years have been marked by the Bolsonaro government’s anti-environmental and anti-indigenous agenda and by the irreparable damage inflicted on the Amazon, biodiversity and the rights and lives of indigenous peoples and traditional communities. The new government has signaled its commitment to the global climate agenda, but serious challenges lie ahead for President-elect Luis Inácio Lula da Silva to fulfill his promises. Reversing the destruction by the previous government and taking meaningful action to protect the Amazon and the climate must be a priority for the new government,” said André Freitas, Amazon's campaign coordinator for Greenpeace Brazil.

Deforestation has been concentrated in the southern region of the Amazon, also known as AMACRO, an area targeted for agribusiness expansion based on a development model heavily dependent on forest destruction. This expansion opens a new frontier of deforestation, bringing agriculture closer to the largest conserved portion of the Amazon, which is vital to Brazil and the world's climate and biodiversity.

From July 2021 to August 2022, 372.519 hectares of public forests and 28.248 hectares of indigenous land were cleared, indicating the advance of illegal activities such as invasion and land grabbing in protected areas.

"To begin rebuilding Brazil's climate agenda, it is fundamental for the new government to have a robust plan to control deforestation and fight mining and land grabs by resuming the creation of protected areas, the rights of indigenous peoples and holds those responsible accountable for environmental crimes. It is important that the future government promotes an ecological transition that establishes a dominant economy in the Amazon that can live with the forest cover and bring real, equitable development to the region," added Freitas.