Amazon destruction up, Brazil elections blamed

Non-government environmentalists blame the global spike in food prices for encouraging soy farmers and cattle ranchers to clear land for crops and grazing.

Elections no doubt play a part, but “the tendency of deforestation rising is deeply related to the fact that food prices are going up”, said Paulo Adario, who coordinates Greenpeace’s Amazon campaign. “When you have elections, the appetite of authorities to enforce laws is reduced,” Adario said. “But the federal government has to step in and do its job.”

Amazon destruction jumped 228 per cent in August when compared to the same month a year ago, according to a report from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. About 760 sq kms of the Amazon was destroyed last month, compared to 230 sq kms in August 2007. The institute, which uses satellite imagery to track illegal logging, said the destruction was likely even worse than its figures show. No information was available for approximately 26 per cent of the Amazon because of cloud cover during the month.

Also on Monday, Minc released a list of what he said were the 100 individuals or companies responsible for the most deforestation since 2005. Leading the list was the Brazilian Government’s own land and agrarian reform agency, Incra. Greenpeace has accused Incra officials of illegally handing over rainforest to logging companies and creating fake settlements to skirt environmental regulations.