According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), in 2018, the world lost 12 million hectares of rainforests, the equivalent of the surface of Nicaragua, including 3.64 million virgin forests, which represent an area equivalent to that of Belgium and that are fundamental for the climate and biodiversity.
The most affected countries are Brazil, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia and Bolivia, said the WRI.
According to this annual report, conducted by Global Forest Watch, 2018 was the fourth worst year in terms of deforestation in the rainforest, after 2016, 2017 and 2014.
These are the forests that have the greatest impact in terms of carbon emissions and biodiversity,”
said Mikaela Weisse, also from the WRI, as these spaces store carbon dioxide and house an important fauna and flora.
The rate of destruction of virgin forests is very disturbing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while it slowed by 63% in Indonesia, thanks to government measures and two relatively wet years, which reduced fires. However, El Niño phenomenon could have negative effects by 2019.
Brazil, however, is the most affected country. According to the NGO Imazon, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon increased by 54% in January 2019, compared to January 2018.
Specialists say that the situation could worsen after the arrival to power of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who has promised to prioritize agribusiness in the face of what he believes is an “extreme” environmentalism on the part of oversight agencies and NGOs.
In Colombia, the loss of virgin forest increased 9% between 2017 and 2018, due to the fact that the peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) allowed greater access to some areas.
WRI also points out the situation in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the countries that lost more percentage of virgin forest between 2017 and 2018, 60% and 26% respectively.