Satellite image analysis released by Greenpeace this
month has detected the illegal deforestation of more than 40,000 hectares of protected forest in Argentina between January and
December 2016.
The damage is concentrated in Santiago del Estero to
the North, where more than half of the illegal clearing occurred. The rest
of the deforestation affects the Formosa, Chaco and Salta provinces. These
four provinces have the highest rates of deforestation in the country.
The native forest cleared is protected by a 2007 Forest Law
and classified as: I. Red and II. Yellow, corresponding to first and second
conservation priorities under this law. According to the report, the total
area deforested in 2016 was 112,252 ha, more than one-third of which occurred
in forests protected by these categories.
Greenpeace Argentina called on Coca-Cola last month to
cut business ties with its lemon juice supplier La Moraleja S.A. who is
responsible for the illegal deforestation of more than 3,000 hectares
of primary forest in Salta.
La Moraleja S.A. owns 30,000 hectares of private
land in an important biodiversity corridor linking Chaco Forest
and Yungas Rainforest. Half of this territory has already been
converted to soy and citric fruit plantations.
