Deforestation of the Amazon continues at an alarming rate despite Brazil's best policies

The Brazilian government has released figures which reveal that destruction of the world's largest rainforest accelerated last year by 29%, totally reversing gains made since 2009.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The figures were compiled from satellite data for 12 months through the end of July 2013, and it showed that 3,360 square miles of rainforest had been cleared in the Brazilian Amazon, an area half the size of Puerto Rico.

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Stopping the deforestation of the Amazon is considered crucial for fighting global warming because deforestation worldwide accounts for about 15% of annual emissions, causing heat-trapping gasses to remain in the atmosphere.

The Amazon is also a sanctuary for biodiversity, and some scientists estimate that billions of species inhabit the rainforest that have yet to be studied.

Data that was released in late 2013 by Brazil's space research center, INPE, had indicated that deforestation was again on the rise, just as conservationist groups had warned.

Deforestation saw the largest increase in the states of Para and Mato Grosso, where the majority of Brazil's agricultural expansion is taking place. More than 290 square miles have been cleared in each state.

Illegal logging and the invasion of public lands adjacent to infrastructure projects like roads and hydroelectric dams has also played a large part of the deforestation process.

Despite the 2013 increase, the cleared area is still the second-lowest annual figure since Brazil started tracking deforestation in 2004, when nearly 11,580 square miles were cleared.

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