HEART-BREAKING photos show the utter devastation caused by massive Amazon wildfires that have shattered local tribal communities.

Smoke can still be seen rising from the scorched ground, as emotional residents point out bare land and blackened tree stumps – where lush vegetation once stood.

The Amazon – 60 per cent of which is in Brazil – is the world’s largest tropical rainforest.

It is considered a biodiversity hot spot, with many unique species of plants and animals.

The dense jungle also absorbs a huge amount of the world’s carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas believed to be the biggest factor in climate change.

Unfortunately, deforestation rose 67 per cent year-on-year in the first seven months of 2019 and more than tripled in July alone, experts say.

There was an international outcry several months ago when fires were deliberately lit, and allowed to burn out of control.

A rash of fires in August tore through the Amazon at the fastest rate since 2010.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro eventually dispatched the military to assist in firefighting.

Scientists say that the fires are linked to deforestation, with people often clearing the forest of valuable timber and then setting fire to the remains in order to clear the land for ranching or farming.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the fires an international emergency and “ecocide,” and criticised Brazil’s government for not doing more to protect the rainforest.

Source: Read Full Article