Deforestation surges in Brazil

After a few years of significant reduction in deforestation rates, a new land-use law going through the process of government approval is blamed for a logging spike in March and April this year.

The proposed new law is designed to ease land-use rules and offer amnesty to those in the farming sector that may have illegally cut down rainforest. Apparently as a consequence, the amount of forest lost in these two months, usually a quiet time of year for clearing trees, is up almost 500% on the same period in 2010.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian Congress is locked in debate over the new forest code law. Many say that the bill would give too much weight to the economic interests of the influential farm lobby and put a big dent in recent progress at reducing destruction in the world's largest rainforest nation.
Brazil's relatively new President - Dilma Rousseff -had pledged to maintain Brazil's commitment to protect rainforest during her electoral campaign. But after a delay for the bill in Congress last week, it is expected to be approved by the end of this month. Among other problems it is likely to generate, the proposed changes to Brazil's forest code will reduce the amount of forest farmers must conserve and relax the conservation of hill tops.
Source: www.reuters.com

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