Brazil: the Atlantic Forest suffered a 66% increase in deforestation in 2021

It's not just the Amazon that is suffering the ravages of deforestation in Brazil.

The vast Atlantic Forest (“Mata atlantica”) suffered a 66% increase in deforestation last year.

The Atlantic Forest thus lost, between November 2020 and October 2021, some 21,600 hectares, the equivalent of more than 20,000 football fields, according to the SOS Mata Atlantica Foundation.

This NGO, which is based on satellite images provided by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), warns that this biome which extends over 100,000 km2 along the Atlantic coast of Brazil is at "high risk".

The deforested area is up 66% compared to the previous 12 months and this deforestation has released 10.3 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, according to the NGO.

“A disaster for Brazil and the whole world”

"We did not expect such a strong progression, we thought that the Atlantic Forest was a little more preserved from the explosion of deforestation (than other biomes in Brazil) due to the greater number of controls", has commented Luis Guedes Pinto, responsible for SOS Mata Atlántica.

“This shows that the biome is also suffering from the dismantling of environmental protection policy and legislation.

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Since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro came to power in January 2019, average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has increased by more than 75% compared to the previous decade.

The Atlantic Forest now retains only 12% of its original surface, due to the urbanization of the Brazilian coasts, real estate speculation around the major cities, and the extension of agriculture.

If deforestation continues, there will be a lack of water, as well as food and electrical energy,” warned Luis Guedes Pinto.

"It is a disaster not only for Brazil, but also for the whole world", because according to various studies the Atlantic Forest is one of the biomes that must be restored with the greatest urgency, if we want to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC, as prescribed in the Paris Climate Accords.