The rate of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest jumped 40 percent in 2002, with 9,840 square miles of forest lost, according to figures released this week by Brazil’s Environment Ministry. That loss — the highest since 1995 — prompted alarm among environmentalists and pledges by the Brazilian government to implement emergency measures to protect the region. Environment Minister Marina Silva, who hails from the Amazon basin, said the government would, for the first time, consider forcing all ministries to take into account environmental implications when making policy decisions. Most of the deforestation in the Amazon stems from mining, illegal logging, and, especially, burning and logging to clear land for agriculture. Much of that farmland is dedicated to the growing of soybeans, which are increasingly critical to Brazil’s economy.
