Deforestation: Brazil (AOS_2) Flashcards
1
Q
location of Brazil
A
- The Amazon Rainforest is located in South America and covers much of north-western Brazil (and extending into Colombia, Peru and other South American countries)
- Brazil has 60%
- The forest covers 5.3 million square kilometres (about 30% of the world’s total)
- About 1% of all the tree species in the Amazon account for 50% of carbon stored
- In an average year, the basin absorbs about 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere
2
Q
reasons for current land cover changes in Brazil
A
Four main reasons why deforestation occurs:
- Clearing land to build housing
- Felling trees for wood
○ Illegal development has eliminated roughly 20% of the Brazilian Amazon over the past half century
○ Up to 60 to 80% of all logging in Brazil is estimated to be illegal
- Agriculture
3
Q
good statistics for Brazil
A
- 19,000 square kilometres of forest had been lost every in Brazil from 1998 to 2007
- If current trends continue, deforestation could double to 48 million hectares between 2010 and 2030 (more than a quarter, 27%, of the Amazon biome could be without trees)
- deforestation has decreased in the Brazilian Amazon Basin by 80% since its peak in 2004
4
Q
spatial technology in Brazil and global response
A
- Global Forest Watch 2.0
- An online platform launched in 2014 that provide aerial images of the global distribution of forests in near real-time for public viewing
- enables all stakeholders (forestry and conservation authorities, environmental lobby groups and members of the public) to monitor forests and post alerts if they detect there has been illegal activity; it also facilitates responsive action
- In 2010, Brazil had 492Mha of natural forest
- In 2019, it lost 2.60Mha of natural forest, equivalent to 952Mt of Co2 emissions
5
Q
local response to deforestation in Brazil
A
- the Kayapo in Southern Amazon aim to protect their traditional lands from exploitation by loggers and ranchers
- They were also under threat by the Belo Monte hydroelecticty dam on the Xingu River, which is one of 60 dams planned in Brazil’s Amazon to increase energy production (the dam was completed in November 2019)
- They obtained worldwide publicity (by filming their traditional way of life and protests) which eventually led to them gaining legal title to their land
- The establishment of many other reserves followed; tribal rights are now in the constitution
6
Q
national response to deforestation in Brazil p.t. 1
A
- The soya moratorium works with industry, governments, consumers and NGOs on market-driven solutions to environmental problems
- The second highest levels of deforestation on record occurred in 2004/5 due to the increase of clearing of land for soya plantations
- Number of cattle ranches doubled in the 1990s and are number of soya beans jumped from 1.2 million hectares in 1991 to 9.4 million by 2016
7
Q
national response to deforestation in Brazil p.t. 2
A
- 24 July 2006, the Soya Moratorium was signed by members of ABIOVE (Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industry) and ANEC (National Association of Cereals Exporters)
- Initially proposed for two years, this industry-led voluntary agreement ensured that traders did not purchase soya grown in the Amazon on land deforested after 2006
- Since first agreed, the moratorium has been renewed every year
- In 2008, the government signed the moratorium and brought with it Banco de Brazil, the main supplier of agricultural loans, and the Brazilian Space Agency (INPE)
8
Q
national response to deforestation in Brazil p.t. 3
A
- Key part of the success has been the functioning of the Soya Working Group (SWG) representing both sides of the table which has built trust
- The SWG had three initial strands: mapping and monitoring, education and outreach, and institutional relationships
- Soya producers who violate the agreements criteria are sanctioned and in worst case, even black listed
- Only farmers who conform to the agreement receive funding from Brazil’s national bank
