While the Amazon holds the world's largest rainforest, it is also the world's largest deforestation front. According to I.N.P.E, in 2022 the estimated annual loss of the forest was 11,568 square kilometers. For a frame of reference, New York City is about 780 square kilometers. Therefore, we lose an amount of forest annually that is equivalent to about the size of one and a half of New York City.
The main cause of deforestation, accounting for nearly 80% of intentional deforestation, is cattle ranching. Farmers clear out large areas for their cattle to graze as part of the market for beef exportation. Other causes of deforestation include soybean production, logging or cutting down trees for wood, mining,and infrastructure development in more urban areas.
Efforts are being made to slow deforestation rates, and thankfully, rates of deforestation started to drop in 2023. Saving the Amazon is vital! The Amazon holds about 30% of the earth's biodiversity and is said to be the lungs of the world, because its trees produce so much oxygen as part of the carbon cycle.
Access to water is a big challenge in the Brazilian Amazon, particularly in rural communities.
