Farmers are being blamed for deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon which rose 2.1% last year.
Brazil Environment Ministry figures showed deforestation in the Amazon jumped to 9,170 square miles in 2003 from 8,983 square miles in 2002.
There are plans to halt the deforestation, most of which is due to burning and land clearance to create farms. The rise in deforestation has been blamed on the growth of soy farming but many environmentalists now fear cattle ranching poses a bigger threat.
Environmentalists are calling on the government to create Amazon conservation programmes that triple the area protected.
