Forests

Deforestation in the Amazon is up again. But this time big business can help

Sawmills that process illegally logged trees from the Amazon rainforest are seen near Rio Pardo, in the district of Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, September 3, 2015. The town of Rio Pardo, a settlement of about 4,000 people in the Amazon rainforest, rises where only jungle stood less than a quarter of a century ago. Loggers first cleared the forest followed by ranchers and farmers, then small merchants and prospectors. Brazil's government has stated a goal of eliminating illegal deforestation, but enforcing the law in remote corners like Rio Pardo is far from easy. REUTERS/Nacho DocePICTURE 5 OF 40 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY "EARTHPRINTS: RIO PARDO" SEARCH"EARTHPRINTS PARDO" FOR ALL IMAGES - RTX1UUUG

Illegal logging has decimated Brazil's forests in recent years Image: REUTERS/Nacho Doce

Isabella Freire W Vitali
Country director, ProForest Brazil
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Rondonia, a western Brazilian state about half the size of Ireland, is seen in a combination of NASA satellite image taken July, 19, 1975 (L) and August, 27, 2014 (R). Deforestation of the rainforest in Rondonia in recent decades has gone ahead largely unimpeded. Since 1988, about 16 percent of the state has been cleared. An area bigger than Germany has been razed across the entire Amazon over the same period. REUTERS/NASA/Handout via Reuters TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. UNPROCESSED VERSIONS WILL BE PROVIDED SEPARATELY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
PICTURE 38 OF 40 FOR WIDER IMAGE STORY
Deforestation in the Brazilian state of Rondonia has gone largely unimpeded Image: REUTERS/NASA
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