Felling of Amazon rainforest ‘is worst in a decade’, with area five times the size of London destroyed in one year Authorities blame illegal logging while critics also point to an increase in cattle grazing land encroaching into the biodiverse area

The felling of rainforests in the Amazon is at its highest rate in the past 10 years, official figures show, with the authorities blaming illegal logging.

An area of 7,900 sq km (3,050 sq miles) – roughly five times the size of London – was levelled alone in the 12 months to July, a study revealed.

It comes amid fears that the policies of Brazil’s newly elected president, Jair Bolsonaro, could further damage the declining rainforests.

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Fines

In his election campaign this year he called for a weakening of protections to the biodiverse areas, including a limit to fines for damaging forestry.

Environment Minister Edson Duarte said illegal logging was to blame for the deforestation crisis.

He pointed to “an upsurge in organised crime” for the illegal deforestation, and said the country must widen the fight against “environmental violations and in defence of sustainable development of the bio(diverse)” area.

Eco activists also point to the increase in land for cattle grazing – the production of beef is a key industry in Brazil – which was encroaching into the wooded areas.

Activists

The states of Mato Grosso and Pará suffered the worst of the deforestation, and marked a 13.7 per cent rise on last year, government figures show.

The study of deforestation in Brazil used satellite images of the land to aid its survey which found the that the problem in Brazil was worsening.

But in some good news the 13.7pc growth of the problem still amounted to a 72 per cent drop on 2004 figures, when the government first started to tackle the crisis.

The biggest tropical rainforest in the world is found in the Amazon and scientists are still discovering new plant and animal species there.

It encompasses an area of 5.5m square kilometres (2.2m square miles) and is often referred to as the “lungs of the world” because the forest breathes in carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen.