mongabay.com 26 Sep 08;
Brazil aims to cut net deforestation to zero by 2015 according to a plan that will be released by the government next week.
"It's a bold plan, with voluntary and sectoral targets that together represent the reduction by hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year, be it through reducing waste, improving energy efficiency or the progressive reduction of deforestation and planting of native and commercial forests," Environment Minister Carlos Minc said in a statement.
The plan will apparently rely both on reforestation and reductions in deforestation, although it is presently unclear to the extent that industrial plantations will count toward its goal.
The government is weighing a proposal allow landowners to include oil palm plantations as part of their legal forest reserve. Brazilian law requires landowners in the Brazilian Amazon to maintain 80 percent of the forest cover on their land and the change could allow ranchers and farmers to legally covert up to 30 percent of their holdings for the oilseed, which is used to produce palm oil. An emphasis on plantations in the plan would be significant in that they are deficient in terms of biodiversity and carbon storage relative to natural forests.
Brazil says the plan will help the country reduce its greenhouse gas emissions — 70 percent of which result from deforestation. Brazil is the world's fourth larger CO2 emitter when land use is included in the emissions tally. Since 2000 more than 160,000 square kilometers of the Brazilian Amazon has been cleared.
Brazil recently announced the creation of a $21 billion "Amazon Fund" for preserving Earth's largest rainforest. The fund relies on donations from foreign governments and private entities. Norway said it would commit up to $1 billion dollars depending on Brazil's success in reducing deforestation.
Brazil unveils deforestation plan
Tim Hirsch, BBC News 26 Sep 08;
The Brazilian government has pledged to end net deforestation by 2015.
It is one of the key commitments in a draft climate change plan, which stops short of setting specific targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The plan - setting out how Brazil will help prevent climate change, and how it will adapt to it - was promised nearly a year ago by President Lula.
But the environmental group Greenpeace criticised it for simply highlighting existing proposals.
It said the draft did not explain how they would be brought into action.
Aggressive plan
In the provisional version which will go for public consultation before being finalised, no specific targets are set for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions amongst Brazil's industrial sectors.
But with deforestation accounting for 75% of the country's emission, it sets out a timetable to reduce forest loss to a point where by 2015, more Brazilian trees are being planted than are cut down.
According to the Environment Minister Carlos Minc, this will be possible through an aggressive programme of restoring native forests, as well as further crackdowns on illegal logging.
Other measures outlined in the document are incentives to improve energy efficiency and to encourage renewable energy sources such as wind power.
