September 02, 2009 Deforestation is the Brazilian Amazon is
likely to fall between 8,500 square kilometers (3,088 square
miles) and 9,000 sq km (3,474 sq mi) for the 12 months ended
July 31, 2009, a reduction of 29-37 percent from last year,
reports Brazil's Environment Minister Carlos Minc. If the
estimate is confirmed by high resolution satellite data to be
published later this year, the rate of forest loss for 2008-2009
would be the lowest since annual record-keeping began in the
1980s. "We'll have the lowest deforestation in 21 years," Minc
said at a news conference in Brasilia, according to Reuters.
Minc's estimates are based on a preliminary report by Brazil's
National Institute of Space Studies (INPE), which showed a 46
percent reduction in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon for
the year ended in July. Minc attributed "90 percent" of the
reduction to increased enforcement effort, although analysts
suggest that falling commodity prices have had a significant
impact in the trend. Agricultural producti