Amazon
rainforest deforestation rates have fallen to their lowest levels
ever recorded and FRA is attributing this partly to the creation of
sustainable forestry plantations in Brazil.
Seattle,
United States, June 16, 2012 -- Amazon rainforest deforestation
rates have fallen to their lowest levels ever recorded and Forestry
Research Associates (FRA) is attributing this partly to the creation
of sustainable forestry plantations in Brazil.
New
figures from the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil show
that deforestation has reached the lowest levels since records began
more than 20 years ago, and the results are being published just a
fortnight before the Rio+20 Earth Summit.
In
the 12 months to 31 July 2011, some 6,418 square km of forests were
destroyed, which is the smallest area since 1988. The rate of
deforestation has actually dropped by 75 per cent since 2004 and FRA,
along with many other analysis organisations attributes much of the
success to the measures brought in by the Brazilian government to try
to limit deforestation.
Brazilian
President, Dilma Rousseff, said the government was largely
responsible for the improvement. She said, "This reduction is
impressive; it is the result of changes in society, but it also stems
from the political decision to inspect, as well as from punitive
action by government agencies.”
FRA’s
analysis partner, Peter Collins, said that the government’s
measures have had a big effect. “An example is their move to
discourage the steel industry from using illegally logged timber for
the production of charcoal. Any firms that did so would not have been
eligible for state handouts, so they all turned to sustainable
plantations, such as those run by Greenwood
Management and other similar investment firms, to
source their charcoal.”
FRA
claims that this means the market for sustainably produced timber and
charcoal is growing, which is great news for anyone investing in
timberland in Brazil.
Greenwood
and other plantation management firms offer people outside Brazil the
chance to invest in non-native timber plantations that help to
provide alternatives to local illegally logged timber.
About
Forestry Research Associates
Forestry
Research Associates is a research and advisory consultancy that
focuses on forestry management, sustainability issues and forestry
investment around the globe.
Media
Contact:
Peter
Collins
Forestry
Research Associates
620
Vineyard Lane
Bainbridge
Island, WA 98110
(206)
316 8394
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