Le Brésil crée de news réserves dans la Forêt Amazonienne

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VICTORY!
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FOREST CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY
Brazil Creates Massive New Amazonian Forest Reserves
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Forests.org a project of Ecological Internet, Inc.

http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Portal
http://www.rainforestportal.org/ -- Rainforest Portal

February 15, 2006
OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Dr. Glen Barry, Forests.org

Brazil has created two new national parks in the Amazon
rainforest and expanded another, placing 1.5 million hectares
(3.7 million acres) of rainforest, an area twice the size of
Belgium, completely off limits to development. President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva's decree seeks to preserve an
environmentally sensitive region in the western part of Pará
state long plagued by land disputes and environmental
devastation, and next to where the government plans to pave a
major road. Brazil's first four "Sustainable Forest Districts"
or national forests for "sustainable logging" were also created.

In total some 6.4 million hectares west of the as of yet unpaved
BR-163 highway were granted some form of protection. The
protected areas seek to ensure that the planned paving of
highway BR-163 does not result in an uncontrolled increase of
logging on lands bordering the road, as has historically
occurred throughout Amazonia. The controversial highway,
stretching from the midwestern city of Cuiaba to the jungle port
of Santarem, cuts through the heart of the rainforest and
threatens to open a swath of destruction across the world's
largest remaining tropical wilderness. Typically each road cut
into the rainforest causes destruction for 30 miles on each side
within a few years as invaders arrive to cut trees.

Forests.org has been instrumental in this victory, through years
of raising awareness internationally regarding the potential
impacts of road and other infrastructure development in the
Amazon. Our international network has repeatedly asked the
Brazilian government to increase protected areas in the Amazon,
and to develop policies to mitigate deforestation. We have
generated hundreds of thousands of protest emails that are a
small but important part of these successful Amazon rainforest
protections.

It remains to be seen whether protections of the type announced
can halt follow on deforestation associated with roads in
ancient forests, and just how ecologically sustainable forestry
in ancient primary forests can be. Nonetheless, congratulations
to Forests.org network members that participated in our years of
campaigning, to the many others that work on these topics, and
may Dorothy Stang who gave her life for these protections rest
in peace.
g.b.

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