Study: Brazil Lost 4,633 Square Miles of Forest in 2019; 99% of Clearing was Illegal

A new study found Brazil lost 4,633 square miles of forest in 2019, and that 99% of the deforestation was illegal, the Guardian reports.

The loss was equivalent to roughly 1,900 soccer fields per day, according to the DailyMail. More than half of the clearing took place in the country’s portion of the Amazon.

The study, conducted by MapBiomas, came days after Brazil’s environment minister suggested the government use cover of the COVID-19 pandemic to ease the country’s environmental protection laws, according to the Guardian.

Deforestation in the Amazon has soared since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January 2019, reaching an 11-year high in 2019.