Brazilian government has decided to open 860,000 acres of the Amazon rain-forest for mining, logging, and farming

Amazon’s rainforest conservation seems to be threatened after Brazil’s environment ministry is planning to release of 860,000 acres of National Forest for agricultural use, logging, and mining. The ministry has said that if the bill is approved, it will create a new protection area near the Novo Progresso meaning that about 27% of the national forest will be covered under APA. Carlos Xavier, a leader of a group in Para, went on to state that APA would bring economic progress in their region.

The bill includes ways to reduce disputes over land, prevention of deforestations and the creation of jobs. The move has however been opposed by many environmental conservation groups. The groups say that the government had agreed to be pressured by a rural lobby instead of focusing on protecting its forests.

There has been also of deforestation in the Amazon forest with the rate rising by 30% in 2017 when compared to 2016 when the rate was at 29%. This was the biggest jump in the rate of deforestation for the forest since 2008. There have been reports of very many illegal logging activities in the area especially the BR-163 highway which is in Para State.

Juan Doblas of the geoprocessing laboratory of Brazilian Socioenvironmental Institute stated that: “Logging is gaining a lot of momentum in the forest and the government does not seem to be bothered by that.” Several people like Supermodel Gisele Bundchen has asked the country’s president to protect mother earth.

Reports have also emerged that many environmental activists are being killed and the number of deaths has been estimated to be at least two per week. It was noted that the area was having some professional assassins involved in the illegal logging and also theft of public land. However, activists vowed to continue to push for environmental conservation instead and will not be moved by the threats.