News just released that Amazon deforestation rates have declined by 45% and is the lowest on record since monitoring began 21 years ago.
Slightly more than 7,000 sq km was deforested between July 2008 and August 2009.
The news is clearly going to be welcomed ahead of the Copenhagen summit on climate change.
The Brazilian space agency, which oversees deforestation rates in the Amazon, stated thatthe annual rate of destruction fell by 45%.
Brazils president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was quoted as saying that the reduction in the level of deforestation was “extraordinary” and continued to say that climate change was the most significant issue the world had to deal with.
The Brazilian government must see these latest figures as a massive boost to Brazils green credentials arriving with perfect timing, just before the Copenhagen summit in December.
The Brazilian governmentwill no doubt be keen to highlight its efforts to reduce destruction in the Amazon as a vital component of its strategy to deal with global climate change . The government plans to achieve an 80% reduction target in the deforestation rate by 2020. Their environment ministry in Sao Poalo is quoted to be proposing that around half of a 40% cut in Brazil’s carbon emissions would come from reducing deforestation.
Greenpeace cautiously welcomed the latest news as important, however a spokesperson claimed there is still too much deforestation and the worlds deforestation targets are still too low. Some environmentalists believe that the fall in deforestation may be connected to the economic downturn, and that when things improve, the Amazon could face renewed pressure. Significant investments in forestry plantations in South America, particularly Brazil and Uruguay are continuing to reduce the pressure on the natural forests. The managed forestry plantations are capable of producing lumber at a far higher rate per hectare than comwes from natural forests. Each hectare of professionally managed forestry planatation is capable of produnind as much timber as thirty hectares of natural forest. Many of the worlds largets fund mangers and private forestry investors are now recognising the opportunities arisng from investments in forestry.
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November 16th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
A big applause for all efforts made by Brazilian president and in the story you are doing, I am still very much thinking that the rates for deforestation are much too higher than it has to be so this celebrations are too soon yet. Like many investments and businesses I think there are many good and also afew not so operators in forestry so I like to see some some evidence towareds how the various companiias do the plantation managing. I want to see how I can take forestry investment which is properly running for the workers as well as the investors too. Is this a possibilty for what is under discussion? thanks