Brazil Boasts Lowest Deforestation Rate In 24 Years Ahead Of Climate Change Talks

The pace of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest slowed dramatically last year thanks to increased government efforts against illegal farming and logging, touted Brazilian officials on Tuesday, as almost 200 nations prepare to meet in Doha to negotiate an extension to the expiring Kyoto climate treaty and work on a new agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The pace of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest slowed dramatically last year thanks to increased government efforts against illegal farming and logging, touted Brazilian officials on Tuesday, as almost 200 nations prepare to meet in Doha to negotiate an extension to the expiring Kyoto climate treaty and work on a new agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

According to satellite imagery produced by Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research, the world’s largest rainforest lost 4,656 square kilometres of cover from August 2011 through July 2012 – 27 percent less than the previous year and the lowest rate of deforestation since official records began in 1988.

The space institute also said that Brazil was on course to meet its 2020 target of reducing deforestation by 80 percent from 1990 levels, while cutting-edge satellite monitoring technology would be used in the future to detect illegal logging and slash-and-burn activities.

“I consider this fact one of the few positive environmental news stories the planet had this year,” said Brazil’s Minister of Environment Izabella Teixeira in a statement cited by Forbes.

[quote]“This outcome shows the world how a developing country can achieve what it has committed to in terms of targets,” she said, adding, “I hope this can be viewed in Doha as an example because we need to act with urgency, as the global reports on climate change are showing that the situation is getting worse.”[/quote]

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The Amazon is the world’s largest remaining tropical rainforest, roughly the size of the whole of Western Europe; and providing about 20 percent of the world’s total oxygen. The pace of deforestation peaked in 1995, when almost 30,000 kilometres of forest were cut down.

“Over the past several years Brazil has made a huge effort to contain deforestation and the latest figures testify to its success,” told Adalberto Verissimo, a senior researcher at Imazon, an environmental watchdog agency, to the Associated Press

“The deforestation figures are extremely positive, for they point to a consistent downward trend,” Verissmo said.

[quote]”The numbers disprove the argument that deforestation is necessary for the country’s economy to grow, he added, citing that “deforestation has been dropping steadily for the past four years while the economy has grown.”[/quote]

“But the war is far from over. We still have a lot of battles to fight and win,” he said, with recent photos in the region suggesting that camouflaged tractors are being used to clear land that were hiding under the forest canopy.

Marcio Astrini, Greenpeace coordinator in the Amazon region, also praised the government’s recent efforts, but warned that “the numbers are still too high for a country that does not have to destroy one single hectare in order to develop.”

[quote]”The decline in numbers in recent years makes it clear that ending deforestation … is possible,” he said in a statement. “The main strength of this effort comes from a society that no longer tolerates the destruction of forests. That’s what pushes actions of both governments and markets … to eliminate deforestation from its supply chain.”[/quote]

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