Government Announces First Steps Towards Forest for Life Campaign
4/29/98
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Title: Government Announces First Steps Towards Forest for Life Campaign
Source: WWF
Status: Distribute freely with proper credit to source
Date: 4/29/98
Brazil Protects 25 Million Hectares in The Amazon
Brasilia,- Brazil will be the first country to join the alliance between the
World Bank and WWF for the protection of at least 10% of the world's forests.
In a special ceremony, scheduled for 3:30pm on April 29, at the Alvorada Palace
(the President's residence), in Brasilia, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique
Cardoso announces plans for the creation and implementation of 25 million
hectares of new protected areas in the Amazon rainforest by the year 2000, as
part of this alliance. This is an area equivalent to the size of the United
Kingdom.
President Cardoso also announces the immediate creation of four new protected
areas, two in the Amazon Region and two in the Atlantic Forest, with the
support of the World Bank and WWF. These new areas total about seven times more
than the area of parks and reserves created in Brazil since UNCED, in 1992.
These are the first steps taken by the Brazilian government to implement the
pledge made last December to protect at least 10% of the Brazilian forests, in
response to WWF's "Forests for Life" campaign. "The partnership between the
World Bank and WWF will play an important role in enabling countries that are
committed to the preservation of their biodiversity to implement their
projects", says Cardoso in the statement which will be seen and heard on video
at the public event held in Washington, D.C. also on the 29th, with the
presence of the president of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, and the Director
General of WWF International, Claude Martin.
"The WWF Living Planet Campaign comes thus at the right moment to encourage our
national efforts in the preservation of biodiversity", recognizes President
Cardoso." This is a bold initiative that will almost triple the area under
protection in the Amazon rainforest", agrees Dr. Garo Batmanian, Executive
Director of WWF Brazil. "This is a major first step towards conservation of the
Amazon, but many more steps are needed, and we hope our partners further this
work", added Dr. Batmanian.
In his statement, President Cardoso also announces plans for the creation of
additional 15 new protected areas by the end of this year, totaling further 2
million hectares.
For further information, please contact
Ulisses Lacava, WWF Brazil -
phone (+5561) 248.2899,
fax (+5561) 364.3057