Brazil's monthly Amazon deforestation hits highest level in five years

The Brazilian government said on Friday that the Amazon rainforest witnessed deforestation of a record 829 square kilometres in May, the highest monthly level since 2015 when measurements first began to be taken.

According to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), deforestation in the Amazon increased by 91 square kilometres compared to the same period of last year.

The Real-time Deforestation Detection system, a federal project created to monitor human activity in the Amazon, alerted authorities to the increase in the rate of destruction of the rainforest.

A recent study by the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) warned that deforestation in 2020 could reach 11,900 square kilometres if the pace of May, June, and July follows the historical average.