Deforestation razed eight percent of Amazon in 18 years: Study
Al JazeeraThe destruction is fuelled by logging, farming, ranching, mining and infrastructure projects on forest land. Deforestation in the Amazon destroyed an area bigger than Spain from 2000 to 2018, wiping out eight percent of the world’s largest rainforest, according to a study released on Tuesday. The Amazon plays a vital role in curbing climate change, but destruction of the rainforest has only accelerated in recent years, found the study by the Amazon Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information Network. The annual area lost tripled from 2015 to 2018,” found the study, noting that in 2018 alone, 31,269sq km of forest were destroyed across the Amazon region – “the worst annual deforestation since 2003”. Brazil, which holds most of the Amazon – about 62 percent – is also responsible for the worst deforestation, the study found: 425,051sq km from 2000 to 2018.