Bogota: Seven South American countries have agreed measures to protect the Amazon river basin, amid concerns over fires in the world’s largest tropical forest.
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname signed a pact, setting up a disaster response network and satellite monitoring, the BBC reported Friday.
At a summit in Colombia, they also agreed to work on reforestation.
More than 80,000 fires have broken out in the Amazon rainforest this year.
“This meeting will live on as a co-ordination mechanism for the presidents that share this treasure–the Amazon,” said Colombian President Ivan Duque, who hosted the summit in the city of Leticia.
The seven nations also agreed to put more efforts into education and increase the role of indigenous communities. The countries were represented in Leticia by presidents, vice-presidents and ministers.
Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took part by videolink because he was preparing for surgery.
The Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming, and 60 per cent of it is located in Brazil.
The number of fires between January and August 2019 is double that of the same period last year, according to the country’s National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).
Meanwhile, Brazil’s leading meat export industry group and agricultural businesses have joined an environmental campaign calling for an end to deforestation in public lands in the Amazon and demanding government action. (IANS)
