Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon region reaches record high in January

SAO PAULO－Brazil recorded the most deforestation ever in the Amazon rainforest for the month of January, government figures show.

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon totaled 430 square kilometers last month, five times higher than January last year, according to preliminary satellite data from the government space research agency Inpe.

That is the highest for January since the current data series began in 2015-16.

The Environment Ministry said that making comparisons using single months does not provide the best picture, stating that in August to January deforestation fell slightly compared with the corresponding period a year ago.

The federal government is acting more forcefully this year to fight against environmental crimes, the ministry said.

The preservation of the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, is vital to curbing climate change because of the vast amount of greenhouse gas absorbed in its trees.

Brazil last year pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2028 and signed a global pact to stop all forest destruction by 2030.

High deforestation is unusual in the current rainy season, when the rainforest is harder for loggers to access. The figures for January showed that new clearing was still less than half of what is common during the peak months from June to September.

A deforestation monitoring researcher at Inpe said the surge seen last month could be partially due to higher levels of cloud cover in November and December than the previous year.

Those clouds may have hidden destruction from satellites in those months that was subsequently revealed in January, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Still, cloud cover remained relatively high in January, falling to 43 percent from 54 percent in December.

Agencies via Xinhua