SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The destruction of the world’s largest rainforest accelerated last year with a 29 percent spike in deforestation, according to final figures released by the Brazilian government on Wednesday that confirmed a reversal in gains seen since 2009.
Preliminary data released late last year by Brazil’s space research center INPE had indicated deforestation was on the rise again, as conservationist groups had warned.
The largest increases in deforestation were seen in the states of Para and Mato Grosso, where the bulk of Brazil’s agricultural expansion is taking place. More than 1,000 square km (390 square miles) has been cleared in each state.
Despite the increase in 2013, the cleared area is still the second-lowest annual figure since the Brazilian government began tracking deforestation in 2004, when almost 30,000 square km (11,580 square miles) of forest were lost.
The Brazilian government frequently launches police operations to fight illegal loggers in the forest, but environmentalists say more is needed.
(Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira; Editing by Anthony Boadle and Jonathan Oatis)
