Devastating forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon are increasingly destroying pristine rainforest. Environmental organization WWF warns that these valuable forests are being deliberately destroyed.
53 percent of the fires recorded in the region in August were concentrated in so-called primary forests, WWF announced on Saturday to mark Tropical Forest Day.
“Billion dollar business” with previously pristine forest
“Previously untouched rainforest is being deliberately set on fire,” says Roberto Maldonado, an expert at WWF Latin America. “The fires are being used to illegally develop land. This is a multi-billion dollar business.”
This year, 88,000 fires have already been registered
The worst fires in nearly two decades are currently raging in the Brazilian Amazon. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 88,000 fires have been recorded in the region, according to data from the Institute for Space Research (INPE), which is responsible for satellite monitoring. This was the highest value for the period up to mid-September since 2005. The situation is being exacerbated this year by a severe drought.
According to the WWF, about 20 percent of the original rainforest has already been destroyed. Scientists therefore expect that if 25 percent of the forest area is destroyed, a tipping point will be reached in the region. Then strong and sometimes unstoppable and irreversible changes in the ecosystem can occur. Because the rainforest in the Amazon region binds enormous amounts of the greenhouse gas CO2, it is also of great importance for the global climate.
Source: Krone
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