Amazon rain forests again losing trees fast.

• Position: Deforestation - Brief article

Deforestation of the Amazon rain forest looks to be on the rise, according to high-resolution images released by an agency of the Brazilian government. The pictures suggest an end to a widely hailed three-year decline in the rate of deforestation and have spurred a public controversy among high-level officials in that South American country, states a report by Tim Hirsch of the World-watch Institute, Washington, D.C.

Deforestation accounts for approximately one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions and is responsible for significant species loss worldwide. Recent anti-deforestation measures under the administration of Brazilian Pres. Luiz Inacui Lula da Silva have led to a marked drop in the rate of forest loss over the past three years. "What matters most to people is whether deforestation is coming under control, or whether this magnificent ecosystem is doomed to relentless decline, with all the implications for the millions of unique species it harbors, for the survival of precarious indigenous cultures, and for the global climate," notes Hirsch.

Using satellite imaging, the Brazilian National...