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During the early 2000s, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest showed an increasing trend, with an annual rate of 27,423 km 2 (10,588 sq mi) of forest loss recorded in 2004. Subsequently, the annual rate of forest loss generally slowed between 2004 and 2012, although there were spikes in deforestation rates in 2008, [ 62 ] 2013, [ 63 ] and 2015.
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. [1] Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. About 31% of Earth's land surface is covered by forests at present. [2]
The mean annual deforestation rate from 2000 to 2005 (22,392 km 2 or 8,646 sq mi per year) was 18% higher than in the previous five years (19,018 km 2 or 7,343 sq mi per year). [78] Although deforestation declined significantly in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2014, there has been an increase to the present day. [79]
The forest floor, the bottom-most layer, ... Amazon deforestation jumped by 69% in 2008 compared to 2007's twelve months, according to official government data.
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest slowed by nearly half compared to the year before, according to government satellite data released Wednesday. In the past 12 months, the Amazon ...
Land use change, especially in the form of deforestation, is the second largest source of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, after the burning of fossil fuels. [4] [5] Greenhouse gases are emitted from deforestation during the burning of forest biomass and decomposition of remaining plant material and soil carbon.
According to the non-profit Amazon Aid, the primary driver of wildfires in the Amazon rainforest is deforestation for agriculture, logging, and other economic opportunities.
The rainforest provides much of the rainfall in Brazil, even in areas far from it. Deforestation increased the impacts of the droughts of 2005, 2010, and 2015–2016. [86] [87] The rainforest, by inducing rainfall and helping with water storage, provides freshwater to the rivers that give water to Brazil and other countries. [88] [89]