No let-up in global rainforest loss as coronavirus brings new danger

A view of the Bela Vista do Jaraqui, in the Conservation Unit Puranga Conquista along the Negro River banks, where Ribeirinhos (forest dwellers) live, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manaus, Brazil, May 29, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. - REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR: Tropical rainforests disappeared at a rate of one football pitch every six seconds last year, researchers said on Tuesday, urging countries to include forest protection in post-pandemic plans.

The loss in 2019 of 3.8 million hectares (9.3 million acres) of tropical primary forest - which means intact areas of old-growth trees - was the third biggest decline since the turn of the century, according to data from Global Forest Watch (GFW).