Published May 2002 - Updated March 2006
LGVN Environmental - Deforestation

BRAZIL... while the rest of the world can only watch in horror

As a country of rich bio-diversity on which the entire planet largely depends for environmental stability, Brazil continues to display an astonishing disregard for both its natural habitat and animals.

At the turn of the millennium, Brazilian congress was voting on a proposal to reduce the Amazon forest to 50% of its current size in just a few years, (bearing in mind that tens of thousands of square miles had previously been destroyed). By the mid 2000s the forest had been reduced even faster these horrific proposals indicated. Areas the size of Belgium in the Brazilian rainforest are being cleared annually by illegal loggers. The logged land is then used for illegal crop plantations and cattle ranching. The Brazilians are making huge profits from this illegal activity by tapping into the public demand for GM free foods such as non-GM soy beans. Once the soy crops have been harvested, the land becomes useless and nothing is able to grow in these areas again. The wood from the trees cut down is sold as wood chips and besides soy crops, the land is used for livestock; cheap beef and leather, much of which ends up as hamburgers in fast food restaurants and sofas in discount furniture stores.

Destroying the natural world in such a huge scale means this man-made catastrophe is now beginning to effect all life on earth ... with irreversible consequences. We need forests to breath. They generate a high quantity of the world's oxygen. In rainforests, the interdependency between flora and fauna is one of the most delicate on earth. Rainforest top soil is unique and holds some of earths most rare animals and precious, natural plants. Understanding the biological make-up of such plant species (which are becoming extinct daily through logging) could help cure many diseases. At the current rate of deforestation, this planet will be void of any bio-diversative, self-sustainable natural forests and habitats in 25 years. Rain forests such as the Amazon take tens of thousands of years to grow and their hardwood trees take hundreds of years to mature. The loss of wildlife and their habitat is irretrievable once it has gone. That is why the Amazon has no chance of regenerating.
Brazil has proved to be the foremost culprit in this devastating action. Ironically 180,000 square kilometers already deforested are abandoned, since the areas without their trees have proven to be unsustainable due to acidic soil, which then become unsustainable deserts.

Stay tuned to this article as it will be updated with news which you may be able to interact with. In the meantime we encourage you to vote on the deforestation issue at our GGL area at veggieglobal

See also:
http://www.looking-glass.co.uk/news/library2003/2003-10-soya-rainforest.htm

Top of the list in appalling animal trade

Apart from being responsible for decimating the worlds largest rain forests, Brazil is also top of the list when it comes to an appalling trade in animal smuggling.

The National Network Against trade in Wild Animals (Renctas) recently launched a global alert about the illegal trade, which is thought to be responsible for a large proportion of the 100 species that disappear from the planet each day. Renctas says that in Brazil alone, 12 million animals a year are removed from their natural habitat for sale to unscrupulous collectors at home and abroad. Many of the species are extremely rare such as the Single Blue Lear Macaw with only 150 remaining in the wild.

Profits are huge for the ruthless traders who are already responsible for death threats sent to Renctas president Dener Giovanini. Giovanini is slowly making progress whilst attempting to wake up the Brazilian Government to the situation. He says that his campaign hopes to encourage Brazilian police officers and border controls to take tougher action against illegal trading.

With video and poster campaigns Renctas also hopes to educate the Brazilian public in general about their ignorant and careless treatment towards the animal kingdom.

Looking-Glass says: Will the wars of the future be "enviro-wars"?

Natural environments, forests oceans and wetlands should not be owned by anyone, and a country should not have the sovereign right to destroy any of this planet's arteries of life, which might run through its territories. If countries like Brazil and Indonesia (see Palm Oil report) continue to display such irresponsibility and ignorance towards the earths natural resources (which generate earth's very stability to survive), it may well be the disputation that finally triggers other nations to take protective action to stop further environmental destruction - for the sake of planetary survival - and particularly towards countries where government corruption thrives.
The USA continues to pump out 25% of the worlds damaging carbons, since its government too, ignores the worlds call for a drastic reduction in its pollution output.

Looking-Glass and VeggieGlobal News Copyright.
All rights reserved. www.veggieglobal.com and www.looking-glass.co.uk.
Any unauthorized redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents of these websites in any form is prohibited.
For permissions please use the contact form