01/09/2010
The drop in Amazon deforestation recorded
in July by the Real Time Deforestation Detection
System (DETER) from the National Institute
for Space Research (INPE) indicate
that, despite the fires that have proliferated
in the country, fires and deforestation
are no longer necessarily linked. The assessment
was made on Tuesday (August 31) by Minister
Izabella Teixeira, at a press conference
at the Ministry of the Environment in Brasília.
The data reported from
August 2009 to July 2010 show a fall of
48% in deforestation over the same period
in 2008-2009, confirming the downward trend
of deforested areas in the Amazon Rainforest.
This time an area of 485 km2 was cleared,
of which more than half was in the state
of Pará, which lost 237 km2 of its
vegetation cover. Compared with the previous
period, the deforested area dropped from
4,400 hectares to 2,300 hectares.
However, although deforestation
is decreasing in several states, it presents
an upward trend in the state of Amazonas.
Between August 2009 and July 2010, deforestation
increased in Apuí, municipality along
the BR-319, which connects Porto Velho (Rondônia)
to Manaus.
Fires
At the press conference,
Minister Izabella Teixeira also announced
data indicating that the fires in the country
are concentrated in the Cerrado biome. More
than 67% of the fire spots are located in
private areas, 13% are in indigenous areas,
8% in agrarian reform settlements and 7%
in protected areas.
IBAMA and ICMBio informed
that the Federal Government has already
invested R$ 30 million in actions to combat
the fires throughout the country. These
actions involves more than five thousand
firemen, eight aircrafts, seven helicopters
and at least 90 vehicles, working in all
109 critical areas.
The institutions also
announced an additional of R$ 20 million
for continuing the actions until mid-September
when the rains return to region.
+ More
Brazil discusses mosaics
of protected areas in France
08/09/2010
The strengthening of an integrated and participatory
management in mosaics of protected areas
is the theme of the Sixth Seminar of the
Brazil-France Cooperation, which began on
Monday (September 6) in the city of Lille,
France. The Brazilian Ministry of the Environment
participates through the Secretariat for
Biodiversity and Forests. The event ends
tomorrow (September 9).
The cooperation deals
with three issues: social mobilization for
education and training of local actors;
articulation for land management and integrated
management of the coastal zone; and enhancement
of local identity through products, resources,
services, culture and tradition.
Ten Brazilian mosaics
are served by the Brazil-France cooperation.
Seven have resources from the National Fund
of Environment (FNMA): Baixo Rio Negro,
Baixo Sul da Bahia, Extremo Sul da Bahia,
Grande Sertão Veredas-Peruaçu,
Ibiapaba Sobral, Itabira e Médio
Macaé. The other three have decentralized
cooperation among states and French regions:
Ilhas Marinhas do Litoral Norte de São
Paulo, Juréia-Itatins e Lagamar.
France participates
with three regions, which comprises 14 regional
nature parks: Nord-Pas de Calais, Provence
Alpes, Cote d'Azur and Rhône Alpes.
