Deforestation near Rio Branco has made its mark on the Amazon rainforest over the last 30 years. 19 % of its total surface area has been cleared in the Amazon since 1970. ESA released a video comparing forest land cover of the area from the year 1985 to 2016. Data has been captured by Landsat-5 and Sentinel-2. In these false-colour images, vegetation appears red. The first set of images are all red, thus more vegetation. Recent images show patches of brown that shows ample deforestation in the area. Vegetation has been cleared away for logging, farming and other activities. This is of great concern as Brazilian rainforest play an important role in global climate unlike other forests, rainforests do not grow back. Their soils are not even suitable for long-term agricultural use.
