Copyright 2001 Associated Press
August 10, 2001
By MICHAEL ASTOR, Associated Press Writer

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - Environmental groups praised a government decision to protect 5.9 million acres of Amazon rainforest through the seizure of land illegally obtained through fraud.

But the groups on Thursday called for the international community and the government to help ensure the protection goes beyond mere declarations.

``Greenpeace calls on the international community to provide technical and financial support to transform these 'paper parks' created by decree, into effectively protected areas,'' said Paulo Adario, coordinator of Greenpeace's Amazon program.

The protected areas, announced by government ministers Wednesday, include the 705,000 acre Serra da Cotia National Park in Roraima state. The ministers also announced the creation of four national forests in the states of Amazonas, Para and Acre and two reserves also in Roraima.

Adario said the government has frequently declared areas national parks and then does little or nothing to protect them.

Muriel Saraguffi, director of the Vitoria Amazonica Foundation which helps manage the Jau National Park in Amazonas state, said the areas will only remain protected if local residents can be enlisted to support the projects.

``They need to be involved as allies in protection and not as adversaries who will be evicted from the area,'' Saraguffi said.

The land for these protected area became available earlier this year through a government program to crack down on land fraud in the Amazon, where some land owners have amassed ranches the size of small European countries.

In June 2000, the Brazilian (news - web sites) government asked 3,065 landholders to provide proof of ownership in efforts to strip owners of land obtained through forged titles, a common practice for centuries in Brazil. Error: Unable to read footer file.