The worst fires in almost 20 years are currently raging in the Amazon region. In August, 53 percent of these fires affected untouched rainforest, according to the environmental organization WWF.
The devastating forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon region are increasingly destroying untouched rainforest. 53 percent of the fires registered in the region in August were concentrated in so-called primary forest, the environmental organization WWF announced on Saturday. Only 13 percent of the fires occurred in recently deforested areas. “Untouched rainforest is being deliberately set on fire,” said WWF Latin America expert Roberto Maldonado.
The worst fires in almost 20 years are currently raging in the Brazilian Amazon region. Since the beginning of the year, almost 88,000 fires have been registered in the region, according to data from the Institute for Space Research (Inpe), which is responsible for satellite monitoring. This was the highest number for the period up to mid-September since 2005. “The fires are being used to illegally develop land. This is a billion-dollar business,” said Maldonado.
