“Brazil Amazon deforestation soars to 11-year high under Bolsonaro”, 18^th November 2019

…Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest rose to its highest in more than a decade this year, government data on Monday showed, confirming a sharp rise under the leadership of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) space research agency said deforestation reached 9,762 square kilometres (3.77 square miles), up 29.5 percent for the 12 months through July 2019…

At a briefing to discuss the numbers, Minister of the Environment Ricardo Salles said the rise in deforestation showed the need for a new strategy to combat illegal logging, mining and land grabbing, which he said were to blame for the increase in deforestation…

Critics have accused Bolsonaro of weakening Brazil's environmental agency, IBAMA. They say his rhetoric has emboldened illegal loggers, miners and farmers and created a climate of impunity for those felling the forest illegally…