As ranchers, farmers, loggers and miners move into previously untouched Amazon wilderness, deforestation in parts of the rainforest appears to be surging, frustrating analysts who put faith in new forestry policies to curb illegal land clearing. Satellite data released July 7 shows deforestation in 2012 soared 50% in the Amazon region outside Brazil compared to 2011, with Colombia registering an increase of 117%, followed by Suriname (84%) and Peru (67%). Peru suffered the most extensive forest destruction, losing 162,000 hectares (400,000 acres) of Amazonian jungle. Only Bolivia saw a decrease in the deforestation rate, of 83%, largely because moister conditions prevented fires associated with slash-and-burn farming from escaping control. Brazil, which has its own monitoring systems, was not included in the study. But... [Log in to read more]