Increase in fires in the Amazon Rainforest by 20%

Coronavirus is being used as the scapegoat for a sudden increase in forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. Activists suggest that due to the focus of security services being on the virus, arsonists are getting away with setting alight areas of the forest.

Many of the fires are thought to be being started by illegal loggers and farmers who want to clear the land quickly.

In June, INPE monitored 2248 fires using satellite imagery. This is an increase of 368 on last June which is concerning due to the impact that last year's fires had on the biodiversity and indigenous people. Mauricio Voivodic, executive director of the World Wildlife Fund NGO in Brazil, has expressed his concern at the lack of action from the government and has warned that we can't have a repeat of the scale of the fires that were seen in 2019.

As well as the impact on the forest, medical experts have stated that an increase in fires will affect those suffering with the Covid-19 as it will affect their breathing. With Brazil having the second highest number of cases globally - this is a concern.

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