junho, 07 2023

By WWF-Brazil 

Deforestation and conversion are out of control in the Cerrado, where 1,326 km² have been devastated in the month of May alone - an increase of 83% compared to May 2022 -, according to data released this Wednesday (7) by the DETER System, from the INPE (National Institute for Space Research). In the Amazon, where the federal government has concentrated its actions to combat deforestation, destruction is dropping, although it still remains at high levels. In May, 812 km² were deforested in the biome, a reduction of 10% compared to May last year.

“The month of May brought encouraging numbers for the Amazon, but unprecedented destruction for the Cerrado, a biome that is heavily pressured by agricultural activities, and which is essential for the country's rainfall regime. We hope that, like the Amazon, this region will receive more protection and initiatives like an action plan to prevent deforestation”, said Edegar de Oliveira, Director of Restoration and Conservation at WWF-Brazil.

On Environment Day, June 5, the government launched the new PPCDAm (Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon) and announced the creation of the Teixeira National Park, in Paraíba state, and the expansion of the Extractive Reserve Chocoaré-Mato Grosso, on the coast of Pará state. This Wednesday, June 7, the ministry announced that it will reinforce measures to contain the destruction in the Cerrado.

“After years of environmental destruction, we celebrate the return of science, planning and control actions. We hope that the PPCDAm will be quickly implemented, as it reinforces the Government's commitment to the defence of the environmental agenda so supported by Brazilian society”, commented Oliveira.

Amazon 

Since taking office at the beginning of the year, the new federal government has made an effort to resume inspection and restructure environmental protection systems - and the signs are positive in the Amazon. In the first five months of the year, accumulated deforestation was 1,986 km², a drop of 31% compared to the same period in 2022.

However, since August 1st, 2022, when the DETER measurement period began, until the end of May, accumulated deforestation in the Amazon was 6,789 km2, an increase of 13% compared to the previous period (August 1st, 2021 to May 31, 2022). The levels, therefore, remain high, although the values have been gradually decreasing in recent months.

"The Amazon has one more month with deforestation reduction, but the numbers are still at a very high level. It is important that control actions as well as sustainable development initiatives gain more strength", said Mariana Napolitano, conservation manager at WWF-Brazil.

According to her, the announcements of the PPCDAm and of the new protected areas indicate an effective path, since in the past they were efficient mechanisms in combating deforestation and the loss of biodiversity.

“We are in the process of resuming the environmental agenda and it is essential that people follow up and hold the government responsible for a quick implementation of effective actions, which will provide a safer future not only for the forests and their peoples, but for the whole society that depends on the environmental services,” said Napolitano.

Cerrado 

In the Cerrado, where environmental protection is more fragile, the situation is critical, with successive records of destruction. In the first five months of 2023, the biome had an increase of 35% compared to the same period in 2022, when high deforestation and conversion had already been recorded: 2,612 km². Compared to the first five months of 2020, when 1,963 km² were destroyed, the area under deforestation alerts has doubled.

Considering the accumulated data since the beginning of the reference year (INPE's PRODES System), between August 1st, 2022 and May 31, 2023, the Cerrado had 4,872 km² deforested, an increase of 23% compared to the previous period, when 3,946 km² were destroyed . Compared to the historical average, the increase was 26%.

According to Edegar de Oliveira, some specific actions are in progress, such as limiting credit and restricting the purchase of products from deforested areas, in compliance with international laws. But more engagement is still needed. On Monday (June 5), Environment Minister Marina Silva said that, after the PPCDAm, the next plan will focus on the Cerrado.

“Civil society, universities, private sector and the political class need to guarantee a viable and sustainable future for the next generations. Only with a serious and effective commitment to the environmental agenda will Brazil have international credibility to close agreements and take part in important trade forums, such as joining the OECD”, he said.