Ro de Janeiro, Brazil — Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon hit a record last month, the government reported Friday with figures that belie President Jair Bolsonaro’s pledge to crack down on such destruction.
The area of the rainforest that was destroyed — 580 square kilometers (225 square miles) — marked a new high for the month of April and a 42.5 percent on-year rise, according to satellite monitoring by the Brazilian space agency INPE. Its data goes back to 2015.
The level for March was also higher than 12 months earlier, and followed two months of decline in the rainy season when logging activity decreases.
From January through April 29, however, the cutting of tr…
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