Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon through July hits fresh record

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest reached a record high for the first seven months of the year, preliminary government data showed on Friday, as the region approaches the traditional peak of the annual burning season.

Government satellite data showed 5,474 sq km were cleared in the region from January to July, up 7.3% from the same period of last year, equal to an area seven times the size of New York City. Exceeding last year's record, it was the heaviest deforestation for the period tracking began in 2015, according to national space research agency Inpe, which collects the data.

In July alone, deforestation totalled 1,487 sq km, roughly in line with the same month of 2021.

Environmentalists and experts blame President Jair Bolsonaro for rolling back environmental protections, opening room for loggers and ranchers to illegally clear more of the Amazon.

"The figures shock, but don't surprise," said Marcio Astrini, head of local environmental group Climate Observatory, adding that "out of control" deforestation in the Amazon was a consequence of government policies reducing protection.

Bolsonaro's office forwarded a request for comment to the environment ministry, which said that in the 12 months through July there was a 2.16% drop in deforestation over the previous year.

The latest figures come as Brazil approaches the worst of the annual burning season in the Amazon, when ranchers and farmers often set fire to areas deforested earlier in the year. Inpe data show that fires in the region tend to spike in August and September. 

In July, Inpe fire alerts increased 8% from the previous year to a total 5,373, though remaining below an average 6,213.

Last month, Brazil's environmental authority granted an initial permit that will allow a major highway to be paved through the centre of the rainforest, a move that threatens to further increase deforestation.