Final Blog Video

This video represents all of the information i have accumulated over the entire semester. It is my final presentation for this blog. The movie starts out with a description of deforestation and moves into the origins for the issue. I present detailed information about the main reasons for deforestation in the area as well as the main players (corporations) that are a part of this. This moves into ways to help fight against deforestation and restore the beauty of the Amazon Rainforest. I want viewers to see the real danger that deforestation poses on the Amazonian eco-system. It is the most biodiverse region in the entire world and deforestation effects the animals, plants, and people in the reegion, as well as the earth’s o-zone layer.

you can see this video on youtube @: http://youtube.com/watch?v=0bLGJ5m0iNE

Protection Payment

The leaders of in the Brazilian government have decided to pay out credits or currency for “eco-services,” or protecting the environment they live in. Marina Silva, the Environment Minister of Brazil has made this act a priority for the region in order to protect the “lungs of the earth.” Any farmers, ranchers, or woodsmen (all three are the main reasons for the destruction of the region) will receive these benefits for using small scale methods for doing their work. They are to be rewarded with public funds, special credits, and an increasing market that is interested in environmentally sustainable products. The goal is to promote methods that do less damage than the mechanical and chemical methods used by large scale businesses in the region. Rural workers have actually been interested in this for awhile but were never going to go ahead with it until the compensation could provide for family. Fortunately the government has acted on this and hopefully we will see a positive impact from it.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhsx8MBbBewQVtc_HeZgu2RsLuoQ

Link Between Mining & Deforestation (in a good way)!

Vale, the world’s largest iron ore miner moves over a million tons of earth every day in Carajas, Brazil. They are the biggest investor in the Amazon region and have a dismal track record with the area. Expanding their company within the area requires the destruction of the fragile Amazon ecosystem. They are now trying to help the ecosystem as much as possible by recycling water used for minerals, and replanting the seeds of natural rainforest trees to redevelop the land where they have mined. Vale can only protect the areas that they “own,” however some see these acts as a way to influence other companies to do the same or greater good to lessen the damage and protect this precious area.

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/mar2008/db20080311_536141.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives

Brazil Fails To Regulate Amazon Deforestation

The Brazilian government has failed to enact reforms designed to slow deforestation in the Amazon according to a recent news release from Green Peace. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s 2004 forest protection ‘Action Plan’ has failed according to Greenpeace. GreenPeace found that 60 percent of the 162 ‘activities’ under 32 strategic directions in the plan have not been enacted. Greenpeace blames the shortfall for lack of political will and coordination by the President’s Chief of Staff of the thirteen Government Ministries involved in implementing the plan. It also notes that the action plan doesn’t set deforestation reduction targets.

While the Brazilian government had previously taken credit for the decline in deforestation, the recent rise in logging confirms suspicions that commodity prices — not policy measures — are the primary determinant of forest clearing. Grain and cattle prices have been surging in recent months, boosting development pressure on the Amazon.

“The Government’s initiative to fight deforestation has many virtues, but it is crucial to establish concrete, clear and measurable targets for the annual reduction of the loss of forest cover. This would allow the government – at local, state and federal levels – to plan ahead in an integrated manner, and to evaluate its own performance, making timely adjustments,” said Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Amazon campaign coordinator. “In any case, if efforts to contain deforestation are to be effective, it is necessary, above all, to consolidate in a definitive way the provisional act on the Forest Code, which establishes that no more than 80% of the Amazon’s farming area can be cleared. It may seem obvious and redundant, but if the rules defining what should be used and what should be preserved remain in the form of a provisional act, no decisive victories will be achieved in the fight against deforestation.”
http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0306-amazon.html

More negative effects of deforestation…

Soybean farms, cattle ranches, and illegal logging are the main sources for the increase in deforestation. If you’ve been paying attention to my blog then you already know this. However, recently it has been decided that 180 families be relocated north of the capital city of the Amazon. This relocation would put these families into the longest running forest fragmentation study area of the region. This human population will most likely increase deforestation and hunting in the area. Six species of monkeys will feel these effects more than anyone. It has been documented that many of these animals do not fair well in fragmented or deforested areas. Hopefully the Brazilian government will find an alternative area to relocate these people in order to keep these animals in a safe environment.  http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0303-tcs_boyle.html

In other recent news, deforestation has been driven up by the largest soybean farm in the world. Owned by Erai Maggi, this land stretches over 494,000 acres. This plantation is helping the poverty stricken areas around the land but is also negatively effecting the deforestation in thea area because it keeps growing in size. When he purchases more land, cattle ranchers must go further north and continue their slash and burn methods for sustaining their cattle. The decision i leave to you, Erai Maggi, friend or foe??? http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/03/environment.brazil

News on the “frontline.” Stopping deforestation?”

Brazil is planning on the formation of a donation based fund to prevent deforestation in the region. It is looking for $1 billion/year (total) from industrialized countries and corporations. Contributors will not be eligible for carbon credits through donation by avoiding deforestation. It is estimated that it would cost as much as $600 million/year to achieve a “near-zero” deforestation rate in Brazil over the next decade.

http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0224-brazil.html

In other news (related to my previous weeks post) the town of Tailandia was enraged by the confiscation of illegally harvested amazonian lumber. The town burned tires and blocked roads to keep environmental officials out. The riot was caused by townspeople and loggers enraged by the confiscation of 500 truckloads of wood that will take 3 weeks to truck out of the small town. This confiscation is part of a larger effort by the state to negate the rise of illegal logging through confiscations of illegal wood, and auditing of sawmills selling illegal wood. Environmentalists say increased demand for agricultural products, particularly soy and beef, has prompted farmers to raze rain forest to gain land for fields and pastures. Brazil is the world’s biggest beef exporter, and second to the US in soy exports.

Mr Lula insists his government is taking illegal deforestation seriously, but said no-one could be blamed for the increase until investigations were concluded.

Other measures announced last month include a ban on new logging permits, fines for people who buy anything produced on illegally deforested land and the forcing of thousands of farms to re-register to ensure they do not sit on illegally cleared land.

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/500-trucks–of-illegal.3810470.jp

Crackdown on illegal logging!

On Wednesday, February 14th, brazilian police seized over 350,000 cubic feet of illegally ctut-down Amazonian lumber. The lumber was seized in lumberyards in the town of Tailandia, Brazil. Another seziure of higher magnitude is also expected by the end of next week Brazilian authorities stated. This “crackdown” is due largely to the sharp rise of deforestation reported in the Amazon at the end of 2007. This rise in deforestation was the first after a three year decline. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has requested for more inspectors to be sent to the region as well as federal police. The President has also requested that more than 80,000 people re-register their land with the government in order to keep tabs on deforestation sites. Eight of Brazil’s 26 states were involved with the crackdown on illegal lumberyards in the south as well as lumber shipments.”The seizure is a clear indication that things have improved in terms of inspection and control mechanisms,” Greenpeace’s Marcelo Marquesini said. “But there is still a long way to go.“

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/14/america/LA-GEN-Brazil-Amazon-Seizure.php

Forests & Carbon Trading

Deforestation contributes 20-30% of CO2 emissions (1.6 billion tons). Trees take in millions of tons of greenhouse gases. When they’re cut down they release these gases into the air. The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) estimates that trees hold up to 283 gigatons of carbon in their mass. The forest fires in the U.S. in 2007 contributed 6% of the total greenhouse gases for the U.S. that year.

According to the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), around 32 million acres of forests disappear every year, most of it in the tropics. The main reason for forest clearing hasn’t changed in 10,000 years. As much as 80 percent of all deforestation is done because of the need to clear land for agriculture. The WWF is now warning that if nothing is done 60 percent of the Amazon rain forest could disappear by 2030.

Carbon trading has been considered recently as an effort to stop deforestation. The idea is to let countries that fall under the max level for emissions sell that quota as credits to countries who have gone over the max amount. The real concern, however, is that carbon trading only really serves rich nations; the issue being that carbon trading could put the vital resources of the developing world in the hands of nations that can use carbon credits as a way to counter, or delay, reductions of their own greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. The World Bank says it wants to reduce global deforestation by 10 percent by 2010. But its critics claim the World Bank has traditionally been a proponent of deforestation.

Deforestation Increase

Deforestation in the Amazon has increased by large amounts within the last four months alone. 2,300 square miles have been cut down according to Brazilian scientist Carlos Nobre. Carlos listed another disturbing fact which states that 17% of the Amazon rainforst has already been completely destroyed. This problem has been contributed to by the rise in prices for primary materials which has increased illegal logging, agriculture, and livestock. Road and hydroelectric infrastructure projects have also contributed to this problem. Deforestation is a large contributor (20%) of the global carbon dioxide emissions and with increases in deforestation it seems that this problem will continue to effect our world in a most negative manner.

http://www.latinamericapress.org/article.asp?lanCode=1&artCode=5476

Mission

The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness on the issue of deforestation specifically in the Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon is thought to be the most diverse eco-system in the world. It is home to people, mammals, birds, plants, and insects. These inhabitants are losing their homes because of the mass destruction of the wilderness they inhabit. 15% of this vast rainforest has already been destroyed by deforestation. The logging roads built into the forest also increase the possibility of illegal logging, over-hunting, fuel-wood gathering, and clearing for cattle ranches. Italy, China, Japan, the U.S. and other countries have taken few steps to ensure that the products they import from this region are truly legal. Greenpeace is an active organization in raising awareness on this issue as well as protesting and fighting the illegalities based on this issue. I hope that the development of this site will encourage you to think more about deforestation!