The Amazon is the planet's largest remaining rainforest, teeming with more wildlife than anywhere else on Earth.
Following years of intense pressure from the agribusiness sector, Brazil's parliament yesterday afternoon approved sweeping reforms to the country's forest protection law that spell destruction for the Amazon rainforest.
Brazil's agriculture industry is keen to change the forest laws so more Amazon deforestation will be permitted
At the end of 2011, before Brazilian government officials closed up shop for the holidays, President Dilma demanded final approval on the new forest code. This new proposal condemns the Brazilian forests and is a deal between government and agribusiness that was made in back rooms and secret meetings.
Samba drummer outside the Brazilian embassy in London
The next stage of voting on Brazil’s new
Forest Code – which could have devastating impacts on the Amazon - has been
once again postponed before going to President Dilma Rousseff.
Posted by Laura Kenyon -
7 December 2011 at 2:49pm -
4 Comments
We are edging closer to an "ecological calamity"
in the Amazon rainforest and a vote in the Brazilian senate has pushed
us closer to the brink.
Yesterday, it voted to approve destructive
changes to the laws governing forest protection – called the Forest Code
- that would open up the Amazon rainforest to rampant destruction. But
it is not too late.
Posted by Nathalia Clark -
29 November 2011 at 5:55pm -
1 Comment
Last week, senators in Brazil approved a text that condemns the
Brazilian forests, a deal between government and agribusiness made in
back rooms and secret meetings. They also rejected an amendment that
calls for a 10-year moratorium on deforestation in the Amazon.
Deforestation in the Amazon will increase if changes to the Forest Code are passed
Copenhagen, December 2009: amidst the general feeling of
disappointment due to the lack of leadership at the UN climate conference,
Brazil is responsible for one of the very few rays of hope: the chief
of cabinet announces a set of very ambitious environmental targets, including a commitment to a 80 per cent reduction in deforestation by 2020. The chief of cabinet's name? Dilma Rousseff. Her job today? President of Brazil.
Hot air balloon rises over Manaus in the Amazon, bearing the message 'Stop the chainsaws'
Stephanie Goodwin, a Greenpeace forest campaigner based in Brazil, blogs from the heart of the Amazon.
Almost one year ago to the day, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said something that made a lot of sense: “Brazil can expand its agricultural production without cutting.”
I agree. One year later, however, the president appears more focused on
infrastructure projects that will cause further deforestation, rather
than to stop it.
Changes to Brazil's Forest Code could undermine progress made by the soya industry against deforestation
It should be a day to
celebrate. It’s now five years since the sound of chainsaws in the Amazon went
from a roar to a whisper. Some of you will have even helped to make this
incredible result possible. But a change to Brazil's forest laws threatens to
undermine this fantastic progress.
Biruvi Deni demarcating Amazon Deni lands to protect it from illegal logging with help from Greenpeace.
September 11, 2001 was not only a day of major tragedy in the US that changed the world we are living in, it was also a day of hope for the
Deni. The Deni are an indigenous group living in semi-isolation in a
very remote part of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. At that time their land was sold illegally to a logging company without their knowledge.
Posted by andrem -
14 July 2011 at 12:15pm -
1 Comment
These aerial photos, taken on 29 and 30 June 2011, show new areas of deforestation in previously intact areas of the Amazon rainforest. The two insets are satellite images showing before and after the deforestation had occurred. Campaigner Andre Muggiati was aboard the plane when these photos were taken.
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Flickr
MySpace
Bebo
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
YouTube