Brazilian deforestation drops 45%
The Amazon has seen its lowest rate of deforestation for more than 20 years, which may be good news for environmentally-conscious Brazilian property investors.
New figures released by the country’s government show that deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon fell by more than 45.7 per cent from August 2008 to July this year.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva commented: "The new deforestation data represents an extraordinary and significant reduction for Brazil. Climate change is the most challenging issue that we face today."
The figures were based on National Institute for Space Research satellite imagery, which showed that around 7,008 sq km of Brazilian forest was cleared in the year, which the lowest amount recorded since 1988.
Slowing deforestation was attributed to a range of cross-government policies to define conservation areas, promote sustainable activities and enforce protection of the Brazilian Amazon, the Ministry of Environment claimed.
Earlier this week, the Guardian reported that the Brazilian government will pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 42 per cent by 2020.
