Amazon deforestation hit record levels in April

Deforestation in the Amazon surged to record levels in April, nearly double the area removed in that month last year, preliminary government data has shown, alarming campaigners.

In the first 29 days of April, the region’s deforestation totalled 1,012.5 sq km, according to data from national space research agency Inpe. Deforestation in the Amazon has soared since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019 and weakened environmental protection. Bolsonaro argues that more farming and mining in the Amazon will reduce poverty.