Amazon losing 1,500 sq km each year
July 23rd, 2010 - 11:18 am ICT by IANSLima, July 23 (IANS/EFE) Around 1,500 sq km (579 sq miles) of the Amazon forest is lost each year due to deforestation and environmental degradation in Peru.
Peru has 68 million hectares (262,550 sq miles) of Amazon rainforest, and it is “absolutely unacceptable” that an expanse 10 times the size of Callao, a leading port city west of Lima, disappears each year “as a result of deforestation and the degradation of our natural forests”, a report by the National Ombud’s Office said.
Ombudsman Beatriz Merino said that 42 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are due to the degradation of forest soils and that the situation is especially worrying because forests are the life blood of Amazon’s indigenous communities.
Faced with an alleged lack of government aid and public services, Amazon communities cut down trees to cover their basic necessities even though they know they should protect those resources, the report said.
The report was prepared after studying the operations of 81 state institutions dedicated to preservation of forest resources and evaluated the work of eight regional governments located in the Amazon region.
–IANS/EFE
pm
- Cocaine shipment for football fans seized in Peru - Jun 10, 2010
- Three hurt as helicopter lands on house in Peru - Apr 11, 2012
- Three die in Peru mining accident - Mar 03, 2012
- Bats bite over 500 people in Peru - Aug 13, 2010
- Spend more on fighting deforestation: Greenpeace tells Mexico - Oct 20, 2011
- 12 die in Peru bus collision - Aug 29, 2010
- 20 dolphins die of poisoning - May 02, 2010
- 91 cops ill after having chicken soup in Peru - Apr 23, 2012
- Two tonnes of cocaine found in coffee bags - Jul 25, 2010
- Lost Amazon tribe found in Brazil - Jun 24, 2011
- 17 killed in Peru bus accident - Nov 19, 2010
- Peruvian sex workers protest against foreigners in business - Aug 04, 2010
- Brazil approves controversial forestry bill - Dec 08, 2011
- Man trapped in Peru gold mine rescued - Apr 20, 2012
- Amazon droughts alarm scientists - Feb 04, 2011
Tags: amazon forest, amazon rainforest, amazon region, basic necessities, deforestation, efe, environmental degradation, forest resources, forest soils, government aid, greenhouse gas emissions, indigenous communities, life blood, natural forests, ombud, ombudsman, peru, regional governments, sq miles, state institutions