A survey by experts from the Federal Prosecutor's Office (MPF) of Brazil, linked to the Amazon Protects Project (Projeto Amazônia Protege), indicates that one-third of the areas illegally deforested and mapped by the agency this year were burned between 2015 and 2017. Those areas correspond to a total of 170 thousand hectares.
According to MPF experts, fire is being used in 2019 to consolidate or expand old deforestation.
According to a study by Human Rights Watch, the Amazon is a region marked by the presence of criminal organizations, violence, and impunity. The study cataloged bullying episodes involving illegal deforestation.
Human Rights Watch's work points to cases of killings of activists fighting for forest preservation and sustainable agriculture. One such case is Gilson Temponi, president of a farmers' association in Placas (PA), who was shot at home in December 2018, according to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.
According to the Human Rights Watch report, in the last 10 years, there have been over 300 people killed in the Amazon alone. Mostly local leaders and environmental advocates. All killed violently. The report points to a region dominated by illegal logging and the omission of authorities.
