Burning forests world-wide (Quelle: Welt am Sonntag) back

Canada: Bush-Firesdestroyed in May 1999 4000 square kilometers forest. Central America: Lately fires transformed 5500 square kilometers of forets in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua into ashes. Mexico: The most severe drought for70 years faciliated breakout of 11000 forest fires in this year, destroying 4000 square kilometers of jungle. Brazil: In the Northeast more than 50000 square kilometers were burned down. Also in Colombia and Venezuela fire destroyed the Rainforest. Africa:The severe drought caused by El Nino fueled numerous fires also inTanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, the Congo and Senegal. Russia: Fires of gigantic diensions in the Amur region destroys habitats of the last Siberian tigers. Indonesia: Slash and burn shivting agriculture led 1997 and 1998 to an environmentdisaster, from which sufferred alsothe neighbouring countries. 20.000 square kilometers of forest burned down. Europe: In July 2000 nearly 40% of all forests on the Greek Island of Samos were destroyed.