原文：http://vegnews.com/2019/8/beef-industry-is-to-blame-for-amazon-fires-environmentalists-say

注：译文谨供参考。

BEEF INDUSTRY IS TO BLAME FOR AMAZON FIRES, ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY

环保人士声称牛肉产业是导致亚马逊森林大火的罪魁祸首

The Amazon rainforest is burning at an unprecedented rate, and the fires are likely caused by farmers attempting to clear land for cattle ranching.

亚马逊雨林正以前所未有的速度在燃烧；这些火灾很可能是由于农民试图清理用于建设畜牧场的土地而引起的。

by NICOLE AXWORTHY

作者：NICOLE AXWORTHY

AUGUST 22, 2019

2019年8月22日

The record-breaking fires that are currently blazing in the Brazilian rainforest were likely set by farmers who want to clear the land for cattle ranching, environmental organizations say. The human-made fires happen every year in specific areas, and are a common last stage of the deforestation process in the Amazon region.

一些环境保护组织声称，目前正肆虐吞噬巴西热带雨林的这些破纪录火灾很可能是由那些想清理土地建设畜牧场的农民引发的。在亚马逊地区，一些特定区域每年都有人为的火灾发生，这是森林砍伐活动最后阶段的常见现象。

“The fire that we’re seeing today is a fire that’s directly related to deforestation,” Ane Alencar, scientific director of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, told environmental news outlet Mongabay. “They cut the trees, leave the wood to dry and later put fire to it, so that the ashes can fertilize the soil.” 

“我们今天看到的火灾与森林砍伐活动有着直接的关系，”亚马逊环境研究所（IPAM）的科学总监阿尼·阿伦卡尔（Ane Alencar）告诉环境新闻机构Mongabay。“他们（农民）砍伐树木，让木头晒干，然后放火焚烧，以便用灰烬来肥沃土壤。”

This year, the number of active fires amounted to 74,155 between January 1 and August 20, a spike of 85 percent compared to the same period in 2018, according to data from the Brazilian National Institute of Space Research. 

根据巴西国家空间研究所（INPE）的数据，今年1月1日到8月20日，活跃火点共计达74,155处，与2018年同期相比锐增了85%。

This region contains the largest rainforest in the world, which produces approximately 20 percent of the world’s oxygen and is often called “the planet’s lungs.” Cattle ranching is responsible for as much as 80 percent of the ongoing deforestation of the Amazon, and a significant portion of the global beef supply originates on land that was once rainforest. 

亚马逊地区拥有世界上最大的雨林，为地球贡献大约20%的氧气，所以经常被称为“地球之肺”。在亚马逊地区，有高达80%的持续森林砍伐活动是为了发展畜牧业，而全球很大一部分的牛肉供应来自曾经是雨林的土地。

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro pledged to further develop the region for farming and mining—intentionally displacing indigenous people—when he took office in January, despite warnings by environmentalists about the impact of deforestation. In response, Bolsonaro is blaming environmentalists for starting the fires in a bid to embarrass the government.

巴西总统雅伊尔·博索纳罗（Jair Bolsonaro）在一月份就职时，不顾环保人士关于森林砍伐影响方面的警告，执意承诺为发展农业和矿业进一步开发该地区──此举故意迫使土著居民离开自己的家园。作为对警告的回应，博索纳罗还指责环保人士制造火灾，以让政府感到难堪。