Colombia Amazon deforestation rose in first half of the year
CONTRIBUTOR
Oliver Griffin Reuters
PUBLISHED
SEP 7, 2022 10:08PM EDT
BOGOTA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Colombia's Amazon rose to 52,460 hectares (129,631 acres) in the first half of the year and could finish close to 11% higher in 2022, the environment ministry said on Wednesday.
Last year, total deforestation in Colombia reached 174,103 hectares (430,218 acres), of which about two-thirds was located in the country's Amazon. That included 47,080 hectares in the first half, the environment ministry said.
"This year we're already 11% higher, combining the (first) two quarters, compared to last year," Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said in a statement.
Preservation of the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, is considered vital to curbing catastrophic climate change, because of the vast amount of greenhouse gas it absorbs.
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