Tag Archives: Deforestation

In Brazil, Deforestation Is Up, And So Is The Risk Of Tree Extinction

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“The rate of deforestation in Brazil has increased by 16 percent over the past year, the country’s Environment Ministry announced.

“Brazil has often declared progress in reducing the rate of deforestation in the Amazon, but the government’s own figures, released Thursday, show the challenges still facing the country.

“Satellite imagery showed that 2,251 square miles were destroyed in Brazil’s Amazon from August 2014 to July 2015, compared with 1,935 square miles destroyed in the same period a year earlier.”  From: www.npr.org

GR:  More articles on deforestation in Brazil are listed below the “like” button.

Amazon deforestation report is major setback for Brazil ahead of climate talks

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“Satellite data revealed that 5,831 square kilometers of land was cut down or burned in the Brazilian Amazon in year to 1 August: a 16% increase on the destruction of the previous 12 months.

“This is the second acceleration in three years, following almost a decade of impressive declines. That suggests the state’s efforts – which include high-tech monitoring, stiffer financial penalties and boots on the ground – are having a diminishing impact.”  www.theguardian.com

GR:  Demand for the crops and beef raised on cleared land is continuing to grow.  The developed world including the U. S. is responsible.  Everyone having a steak tonight is responsible.

Billions worth of EU imports linked to illegal deforestation | The Parliament Magazine

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“According to Fern’s report, “the EU is one of the largest importers of products resulting from illegal deforestation [and in] 2012 imported €6bn of soy, beef, leather and palm oil which were grown or reared on land illegally cleared of forests in the tropics – almost a quarter of the total world trade”.

“To get a better idea of what this represents, the document says that “one football pitch of forest was illegally felled every two minutes in the period 2000-12 in order to supply the EU with these commodities”.

“While it is easy to spot products containing beef or soy, the same cannot be said for palm oil, which according to the world wildlife foundation can be found in lipstick, chocolate, shampoo and pizza dough, among others.

“In Brazil, it was found that “90 per cent of the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon during 2000-09 was illegal”.  From: www.theparliamentmagazine.eu

GR:  The connection is not that complicated.  Throughout the world, rising demand drives supply.

Subsidies for Deforestation-driving Commodities Dwarf Conservation Finance New Report – Ecosystem Marketplace

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“Agricultural subsidies worth at least $486 billion per year dwarf the $8.7 billion total committed to avoiding deforestation in tropical countries, a new working paper by the Overseas Development Institute finds.”  www.ecosystemmarketplace.com

GR:  Eight billion of the $486 billiion was probably spent on countering efforts to stop deforestation.

‘Traditional authority’ linked to rates of deforestation in Africa

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New analysis reveals a strong correlation between precolonial institutions in Africa and current levels of deforestation. phys.org

GR:  It’s certainly true in the U. S. that century-old institutions are still the leading cause of deforestation.

How palm oil companies have made Indonesia’s forest fires worse

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“Deforestation linked to palm oil has helped intensify massive forest fires in Indonesia and threatened endangered species – despite rules which should ensure deforestation for the global palm oil trade is limited.

“The evidence from an ongoing Greenpeace investigation comes as fires are finally dying down, thanks to heavy rain across the affected areas.

“The fires, which raged through Indonesia’s forest and peatlands for three months, were so vast that Indonesia emitted more carbon than China on several days this autumn – threatening global efforts to limit climate change.”  From: energydesk.greenpeace.org

Scientists say deforestation may threaten a staggering half of Amazon tree species with extinction

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“Tropical tree species could be in much bigger trouble than scientists had thought: A new study, which involved collaboration from dozens of researchers, suggests that at least 36 percent and up to 57 percent of all Amazon tree species are likely at risk of extinction, depending on future deforestation rates. If true, this information would raise the number of threatened plant species on Earth by about 22 percent.

“The research, which was published Friday in the journal Science Advances, combined spatial distribution models of the Amazon with both historical and projected data on deforestation to determine the conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species, about two-thirds of which the authors considered rare species. The researchers used listing criteria from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which maintains a “red list” of threatened species on Earth, to decide which species should be considered in danger of extinction.”  From: www.washingtonpost.com

GR:  With the expected growth of our population and demand for meat and other products from forest soils, the threatened extinctions discussed in this article seem virtually inevitable.

Our ancient woodlands are being bulldozed | Patrick Barkham

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“An area forested since 1100 – as Smithy Wood in Sheffield has been – should not be turned into a motorway service station, surely. But there is little protection.”  More at: www.theguardian.com

GR:  In my research on urban forestry I found that over the years, the greatest threat to nature in the city was the transportation department.  Since then, in studies of landscapes, I’ve found that the builders of energy transmission corridors are right up there with road builders in their disrespect for nature.

To save Brazil’s forests, focus on big landowners – Futurity

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“Richards and VanWey predict that Mato Grosso is entering a period of renewed high rates of deforestation because of several factors, including the increasing value of farmland, the growing size of the state’s cattle herd, the current dollar-real exchange rate, and the Brazilian government’s continued support of export-oriented commodity agriculture.

“Brazil’s Plan for the Control of Deforestation in the Amazon III focuses on reducing deforestation in smallholder farms, given the success the government previously had in targeting owners of larger properties. But in looking at the results of their analysis, Richards and VanWey advocate for continued focus on larger properties.”  From: www.futurity.org

GR:  The stories today support the contention that deforestation is still too high in Brazil.  Stopping deforestation will be no easier with the large landowners discussed in this article. Sure, the owners can afford to pay the fines (unlike the small landowners), but who is going to fine them?