Buenos Aires [Argentina], June 25: Wildfire destroyed some 300,000 square kilometres in Brazil last year, equivalent to the surface area of Italy and 62% more than the four-decade average, the MapBiomas initiative reported on Tuesday.
MapBiomas is made up of universities, non-governmental organizations and tech companies that evaluate satellite images and other data.
According to the report, 156,000 square kilometres of the Amazon region were burnt, the largest area since records began in 1985. The fires were attributed largely to a severe drought in Brazil last year. "Fire is not a natural element in the Amazon Forest's ecological dynamics. The burnt surfaces are the result of human activity," MapBiomas Amazon coordinator Felipe Martenexen said. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune