UN Helps Brazil With Amazon Forest Fire Disaster

The lush Amazon Forest in northern Brazil has been home to the Yanomami Indians from time immemorial. Their habitat was recently invaded by farmers whose slash and burn methods of clearing the forests were intended to create grazing and land for cattle. Instead, drought conditions and high winds attributed to El Nino brought about the most extensive conflagration ever recorded in Brazil. An international team of disaster experts assembled by the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs measured the loss of biodiversity and recommended preventive measures.