Brazil Loses Natural Vegetation, Increasing Extreme Weather Risk

Kathmandu. Brazil has lost more than double the area of France in natural vegetation in the last four decades. A study released on Wednesday showed that the decrease in natural vegetation could increase the impact of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and wildfires caused by El Niño.< p>

El Niño, confirmed in June, is expected to intensify towards the end of the year. This is expected to increase the risk of extreme weather in various regions of Brazil. The environmental monitoring organization MapBiomas, in its annual land use study, stated that while natural vegetation covered 79 percent of Brazil's total land area four decades ago, it has now decreased to 65 percent.< p>