It was exposed by Greenpeace with shocking photos showing new areas of deforestation in previously intact areas of the Amazon rainforest. This new wave of deforestation is most likely motivated by the promise of amnesty for forest criminals which is contained in the new forest code legislation recently approved by the Brazilian lower house of congress.

These aerial photos were taken on 29 and 30 June 2011. The two insets are satellite images showing before and after the deforestation had occurred. There we were, flying over wide areas of intact preserved forest in the municipality of Apu in the south of Amazonas state. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man-made clearing opens in the middle of the jungle. The trees below had recently been chopped down, a clear case of forest destruction.
Encircling the mosaic of the small areas, they would form a large illegal farm. But the crime didn't end there. The same forest criminals had also wiped out trees lining the creeks and streams in the area, directly violating sections of the current Brazilian Forest Code that aim to prevent flooding and protect the streams.

New cases of deforestation are appearing in areas that were previously outside the forest crime scope. Not just in Apui but also in far-flung locations such as Canutama, Novo Aripuanã, Lábrea, and Boca do Acre.
The results of the Brazilian government's Real-Time Deforestation Detection System (Deter) confirm that the southern part of Amazonas state - long considered a frontier of expansion - is now seeing more logging. Compared to Deter's data from last year, there is a striking increase in deforestation.
Greenpeace's satellite lab in Manaus has been identifying and tracking dozens of deforestation areas that appear in the satellite images and they frequently fly over those areas for a closer look.
But more importantly, the Brazilian senate should not approve the new Forest Code legislation that is already inspiring forest destruction, even before it has become law.