Environmentalist alarmed by rise in Brazil Amazon fires

Monday marks the one year anniversary of the so-called "Day of Fire" that sparked raging wildfires in the Brazilian Amazons and grabbed the world's attention.

Then, authorities said it was investigating reports that farmers in Para state had called for "a Day of Fire" on Aug. 10 to ignite fires.

Local media said a group organized the action over WhatsApp to show support for Bolsonaro's efforts to loosen environmental regulations.

One-hunred-and-twenty-four fires were registered by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research, INPE, on August 10, 2019 and 203 more were flagged the next day.

Greenpeace campaigner Romulo Batista called it a political act to show their support for the president's environmental policies.

"A political act was articulated through a social media app group, to burn both pasture and forest areas, to demonstrate their approval to the anti-environmentalist policies that the government was implementing in Brazil," Batista said.

Deforestation in the Amazon had hit its highest level in a decade and experts now fear that it could be even higher this year.

According to INPE, between August 2019 to July 2020, almost 9,205 square kilometres (3,555 square miles)  was deforested, an increase of 34%.

(Image Credit Pixabay)