Amazon deforestation slows but concerns remain

One of our previous articles was about the need to save our rainforests. There was some good news yesterday, the Guardian has reported that large scale deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has fallen dramatically last year according to official figures.

On the other hand there are concerns remaining. One of these concerns is about the vested interests lobbying to water down environmental protection laws in Brazil, reported in the Guardian back on the 3rd July. Unfortunately this amendment was approved by a special committee of the Brazilian Parliament (or to be precise, National Congress of Brazil) on the 6th July, as reported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Dramatic decline in Amazon deforestation

Ibama, which is the Brazilian environment agency, is responsible for protecting the Amazon against illegal logging. Ibama says that increased use of satellite data to spot logging, and new tactics to deter loggers are being employed. Indeed, illegal logging can be spotted from space, even during the cloudy season which eliminates the ability of loggers to hide their activities under cloud cover. Ibama seizes the tools of suspected illegal loggers and their access to government credit gets blocked.

Critics say that Ibama is understaffed, with 700-800 enforcement officers on the ground. The director of environmental protection, Luciano Evaristo, agrees and also wishes for 4000 enforcement officers, but also states that satellite data makes the officers' work more effective. As well as protecting against illegal logging, enforcement officers have other tasks such as controlling animal trafficking and illegal fishing.

On the other hand, the ecologist Philip Fearnside of the Natural Research Institute of the Amazon says the decline is partly due to control measures, but also due to a drop of demand in soya and meat. Fearnside says that deforestation is not under control and that prices of commodities will go up after a global recession. Evaristo rejected the argument saying that the 2010 figures show high commodity prices do not lead to an increase in deforestation. The environment minister Izabella Texeira says that several factors can explain the drop.

And what is happening in other rainforests? In further good news, the Chatham House think tank has published the results of a study saying that over the last ten years, illegal logging has dropped across the Cameroon, Indonesia, and the Brazilian Amazon by 70%.

The aim is, and should be, to have zero deforestation anywhere, and mining and drilling for minerals should also be forbidden within all rainforests.

Read the full article on the Guardian here

But the Amazon is still in danger

Despite the good news mentioned above, we should not be complacent. On the 3rd July, an article was posted on the Guardian saying that vested interests are aiming to weaken Brazil's environmental laws. At the time the article was posted, a special committee in the Brazilian Parliament (Special Committee on Forest Law Changes) was preparing to vote on laws loosening the regulation on land usage and deforestation. On the 7th July, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported that the same special committee voted on the 6th July for the weakened environmental laws, a truly unsatisfactory outcome.

The Brazilian Forestry Code is regarded as one of the most advanced environmental laws in the world, with strict limits on land usage in areas with high biodiversity, and landowners are required to maintain their land so that in the land they own, 80% of the Amazon land, 35% of the savannah (Cerrado) terrain, and 20% of the Atlantic forest (Mata Atlântica) is in their natural state. The enforcement of the code along with satellite imagery, as mentioned in this article, has helped make real progress in curbing deforestation. This progress is now in jeopardy if the law amendment passes. The powerful agricultural lobby has been lobbying to weaken environmental protection laws for many years, and for one reason: their profits, regardless of the consequences to the Amazon, and the world.

Of course, the forestry law change has been passed by the special committee; it is not law at the moment. The law has not been changed yet. The presidential election is due this year, which is likely to influence when the forestry law amendment bill will go to the Brazilian Parliament. Unfortunately, this bill is expected to pass. After that the president of Brazil, whoever he or she will be, can either give the amendment his or her assent or veto the amendment. WWF have said that the changes to the Forest Code were hardly debated in Parliament (Congress).

Read the full article on the Guardian here
Read the WWF article here