Report: Cattle riding herd over Amazon

[dArKeR]

Deforestation faster than thought, tied to beef exports

BRASILIA, Brazil - Booming Brazilian beef exports could be the main culprit behind a sharp rise in deforestation of the Amazon as cattle farmers cut deeper into the forests, a leading research institute said Thursday.

The report, “Hamburger connection Fuels Amazon Destruction,” by the Indonesia-based Center for International Forestry Research was released at a time when environmentalists feared the latest Amazon destruction rates could be the highest ever.

The deforestation rate in the world’s largest jungle jumped 40 percent in the 12 months to the middle of 2002, and the authors of the report are bracing for figures for the subsequent year that could be yet higher. The latest data should be released in coming weeks.

At around 9,840 square miles, the deforestation figure for 2001/2002 was the second-highest on record and represented an area slightly smaller than Haiti.

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