Brazil: Amazon rainforest deforestation rises sharply

The fact that "much of the destruction has been in Mato Grosso state, the centre of soya farming in Brazil" does not necesarily mean that soya is the main cause of this increase in deforestation. Bio-fuels (ethanol) from sugar cane are big business in Brazil, and so is eucalyptus planting, which is thriving thanks to the issuance of "carbon offsets" or "carbon credits" which are bought by CO2-emitting industries in the developed countries. Eucalyptus planting, by the way, has far-reaching consequences: it is a very successful "invading species" which has the property of changing local eco-systems into dryer, poorer environments.