Deforestation from soy continues to spread through Brazil’s Cerrado and Amazon Rainforest, with satellite readings showing new areas of forest loss from as recently as last December, a new study shows. There were approximately 26,901 hectares (66,473 acre) of deforestation and forest degradation in the Cerrado between last September and December, while the Amazon saw around 30,031 hectares (74,208 acres), according to a report from the environmental group Mighty Earth. All of it is located near grain silos used by the seven biggest soy traders in Brazil. “We’re trying to make connections in the supply chain and tell traders that they must stop sourcing from these farms because they potentially are going to sell them soy that’s sourced from deforestation,” said Mighty Earth senior advisor Mariana Gameiro. The organization partnered with AidEnvironment and Repórter Brasil to monitor short-term deforestation and degradation linked to soy and cattle ranching activities through satellite imagery, with the goal of releasing case studies every three months highlighting recent forest loss. The groups’ analysis has the ability to distinguish between clearcutting, mining, logging and fires, among other activities. This time, their report provided case studies for soy farms within 50 kilometers (31 miles) of silos connected to major international soy traders, and in some cases revealed emerging trends about the expanding agricultural frontier. A silo used by soy trader Bunge. Phot courtesy of Mighty Earth. In the Cerrado, a concerning number of deforestation alerts appeared in states like Bahia, Tocantins, Piauí and Maranhão, the report said.…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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