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Seven million hectares of forests have been lost in Argentina over the past 20 years – ‘We are facing a serious forest emergency http://bit.ly/1Vu8fQ1

Agriculture in Argentina has expanded at an accelerated rate in the past twenty years due to technological advances, the use of genetically modified crops, and, in particular, to the cultivation of soybean.

The South American country is the first global exporter of soy, and the biggest provider of flour and biodiesel made from its derivates; the crop is an important source of income. However, according to the coordinator of Greenpeace’s forest campaign in Argentina, Hernán Giardini, “the advance of genetically-modified soy production since the mid-nineties until now, and the intensive cattle raising in the north” are the main causes for forest loss in the country.

According to a rating created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Argentina is among the top ten countries that destroy their forests the most, and the FAO calculates the loss has amounted to more than 7.5 million hectares since 1990.

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