Raymond Colitt PlanetArk 2 Dec 10;
Deforestation in the Amazon forest fell to its lowest level on record, the Brazilian government said on Wednesday, marking what could be a watershed in the conservation of the world's largest rain forest.
The figures coincide with a United Nations global climate conference in Mexico. There, Brazil wants to showcase it is one of the few major economies significantly slashing its greenhouse gas emissions, which for it come mostly from burning or rotting trees.
"We will honor the pledge we made and we don't need any favors. We do it because it's our obligation," said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, adding that the developed world was failing to agree to ambitious cuts in greenhouse gases and was not transparent about financial aid to developing nations.
Deforestation fell to around 2,509 square miles (6,500 sq km) in the 12 months through July 2010, down 14 percent from the year before and a peak of 11,235 square miles (29,100 sq km) in the mid-1990s. It is the lowest rate since the series began in 1988.
Lula criticized industrial nations for lacking commitment to cut greenhouse gases, saying it was disappointing that almost no heads of state would attend the Cancun summit.
"It won't lead to anything," he said during a ceremony in Brasilia.
Increased policing and pressure from consumer groups were instrumental in bringing down deforestation. The government's environmental watchdog has in recent years fined illegal cattle ranchers and loggers, confiscated their products, and cut off bank loans to them. Beef and soy industries have declared voluntary bans on products from illegally deforested areas.
The latest reduction in deforestation occurred despite high commodity prices, which usually drive more loggers and cattle ranchers into the forest seeking cheap land.
"There's been a decoupling, this is a big step forward," said Paulo Barreto, senior researcher at the Imazon think tank in Belem. "Of course, it's still an unacceptable rate and the government needs to do more to support the small guy in the forest," said Barreto, citing growing financial and public opinion pressure on ranchers as a reason for progress.
CHALLENGES
The area destroyed is still as large as a small country and was higher than the 1,930 square miles (5,000 sq km) that Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira had hoped for.
Experts say progress will be more difficult as logging now takes place on a smaller scale and is more difficult to spot.
"This will require more investment by the federal government," said Gilberto Camara, head of the National Institute for Space Studies, which monitors deforestation.
Officials also agree more must be done to promote alternative economic activities to the impoverished region.
"We won't keep the trees standing unless we develop forest-based economies," said Roberto Vizentin, a director at the ministry of environment, citing pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies that were developing products from plants.
"These need to create added value and jobs in the forest, not in the big cities," he said during a ceremony where Lula handed property titles to communities of forest-dwellers.
By 2020 Brazil wants to reduce its annual deforestation target to 1,351 square miles (3,500 sq km).
Amazon deforestation on decrease says Brazil government
BBC News 1 Dec 10;
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen to its lowest rate for 22 years, the government says.
Satellite monitoring showed about 6,450 sq km of (2,490 sq miles) of rainforest were cleared between August 2009 and July 2010, a drop of 14% compared with the previous 12 months.
Brazilian officials said the reduction was due to better monitoring and police control.
Environment minister Izabella Teixeira said the figures were "fantastic".
She said she would be "proud" to present the results at the UN Climate Change Conference currently taking place in Cancun, Mexico.
She added that Brazil was well on course to reduce deforestation to its target of 5,000 sq km of by 2017.
The latest figure still represents an area more than half the size of Lebanon or Jamaica.
But it is far lower than the peak of 27,772 sq km in 2004.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the reduction showed Brazil was "keeping its promises" on tackling global warming.
In 2005 President Lula pledged to reduce deforestation by 80% by 2020.
Global importance
Deforestation is thought to be responsible for about 20% of CO2 emissions worldwide.
The cutting and burning of trees in the Amazon has made Brazil a major contributor of the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming.
The latest data was published by the Brazilian space research institute (Inpe) which uses satellites to monitor deforestation in the Amazon.
The head of Inpe, Gilberto Camara, said the reduction was the result of "co-ordinated action", including greater control of illegal logging by Brazil's environment ministry and the federal police.
He also praised "responsible businesses" who had stopped buying beef and soya produced in deforested areas.
Mr Camara added that a programme that had given legal titles to about 300,000 landholders had also helped reduce the rate of forest clearance.
President Lula's government has also been promoting "extractive reserves" where local people can make a living from the forest without destroying it.
Environmental groups have warned that Brazil's soaring economic growth, as well as growing global demand for agricultural produce, could increase pressure on the Amazon rainforest in the coming years.
