Environment Brazil registers highest number of forest fires since 2004

In the first six months of the year, more forest fires were recorded in the Brazilian Amazon region than at any time in the last 20 years. The authorities recorded 13,489 forest fires in the Amazon - 61 percent more than in the same period last year.

Since the start of the survey, only 2003 and 2004 have seen a greater number of forest fires. This was revealed by satellite data published on Monday.

According to experts, the sharp increase in forest fires in the Amazon region is a consequence of the massive drought in the Amazon rainforest.

The Amazon rainforest stretches across nine countries, most of which are in Brazil. It is one of the few remaining large primeval forests in the world and is home to more plant and animal species than any other place on earth. With its billions of trees, it is also a particularly important CO2 reservoir for the global climate.

SDA