ITS EDUCATION ASIA ARTICLE

Brazil heading in right direction

By Danny Harrington, MD ITS Education Asia

Following the news that deforestation in the Amazon dropped nearly 34% in the first six months of 2023, July saw a year-on-year decline of 60%. The exact data is available on Deter satellite alert system (great especially for all Geography students).

This rapid progress proves how important political leadership and will is in making good decisions for the future of the environment. The new government has actively chased and penalized illegal loggers, miners and land grabbers as well a created new conservation areas and made clear which areas are considered indigenous land (indigenous peoples usually live in balance with nature).

In this week’s regional summit, hopefully the other South American rainforest countries -  Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname - will  take inspiration and be able to implement similar policies at home. National action plans, an international scientific panel and clear targets would all lead to carrying the Brazilian success tory into the wider region.