Official statistics from the Environment Ministry revealed a sixfold increase in the deforestation rate in the Amazon prompting the creation of an emergency task force to stop deforestation.

The two month total of 593 square kilometers deforested area was six times higher compared to a similar period in 2010. In the state of Mato Grosso alone, around 480 square kilometers of forest were destroyed in a couple of months, as revealed by satellite images. The land is used for cattle raising and cultivating soybeans.

At a press conference, Brazil’s Environmental Minister Izabella Teixeira revealed that the new office will be composed of government experts and representatives of states badly affected by recent deforestation. She said that the aim of the task force will be to curb deforestation and they plan to start by July.

In terms of land area, Brazil ranks as the fifth largest country in the world with its 5.3 million square kilometers of jungles and forests, majority are found in the Amazon River basin. Of these jungles and forests, only 1.7 million are protected by the state while the remaining is either privately owned or has an undefined ownership/.

However, massive deforestation has made Brazil among the world’s top emitters of greenhouse gases. In 2004, the rate of deforestation increased to 27,000 square kilometers annually. Last year, it decreased to 6,500 square kilometers.

The announcement comes in the midst of the Brazilian Congress debating about a bill that has triggered conflicts among environmentalists and supporters of farmers and ranchers concerning the regulation of Brazil’s vast but vulnerable wilderness.

Congress is attempting to reform the 1965 law regulating forestry. Under the current law, land owners that maintain forests on their property will be forced to maintain part of it intact. An amendment is being pushed by Brazil’s agribusiness sector.

Brazil is a leading world exporter of grains as well as soybeans, coffee and beef, and generated exports amounting to $800 billion over the past year, based on recent government data. With the proposed reforms, the government is hoping that private owners would be forced to implement reforestation on the lands already damaged.

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