Brazil's Amazon: Surge in deforestation as military prepares to deploy

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rain-forest rose sharply last month as the country prepared to send troops to try to curb illegal logging and mining. Brazil's Space Research Agency said the area destroyed in April was 64% bigger than in the same period last year. In the first 4 months of 2020, destruction of the forest by illegal loggers and ranchers have risen to 55%. Brazil's National Institute of Space Research said that more than 405 square kilometers of the Amazon had been deforested last month compared with 248 sq km in April last year. It further added saying "Between January and April, a total of 1,202 sq km has been wiped out." Environmentalists say President Jair Bolsonaro's policies and rhetoric encourage these illegal activities. However, Bolsonaro has vehemently denied such claims. Earlier this week he authorized the deployment of armed forces to the region. According to conservation groups in Brazil, since the Coronavirus outbreak began, fewer Government enforcement agents had been deployed. Brazil has been one of the worst-affected countries in South America, with 141,000 cases and nearly 10,000 deaths. The Amazon rain-forest is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.