Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon soared 62% year-over-year in February with 124 square miles of forest cleared, Reuters reported. It’s the highest level of deforestation since Inpe, a space research agency, began tracking the data in 2015.
The report comes two months after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office with a pledge to end rampant illegal logging that flourished under former President Jair Bolsonaro.
"They are deforesting even in the rainy season,” Silva told Reuters. “It is a kind of a revenge against the actions already being taken, but we will keep working towards our goal.”
