VICTORY!!!
This
Action Alert has lead to a Historic Victory for
Brazilian Amazon
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WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
ACTION
ALERT: Stop Ranchers from Destroying more of the Amazon
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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org
http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Archives
http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest
Conservation
05/17/00
OVERVIEW
& COMMENTARY
The
Brazilian agricultural/ranching lobby has succeeded in bringing
to vote
a bill that threatens the Brazilian Amazon.
Several items
have
been sent to this list regarding proposed revisions to the
Forestry
Code. To clarify and recap: one of the
major changes being
proposed
is a reduction, from what had been promised, in how much of
their
rainforest holdings landowners must maintain as reserves when
developing
their land. Brazilian law has required
landowners to
maintain
at least 50% of their land as forests.
In early December of
1999, a
major effort to gut this and other existing protections was
introduced
in a revised Forestry Code, which was subsequently
defeated,
largely due to mobilization by the Brazilian environmental
community. Following this loss, the legislation was
rewritten to
garner
more support from environmentalists.
The level of protection
to be
allocated as reserves in developing lands was increased to 80%.
Now, at
the last minute, this very important and much needed increase
in
protection has been reduced back to the 50% level. This will lead
to
continued increases in deforestation, and forest fragmentation,
caused
by agriculture and ranching in particular.
Please take the
time to
send a protest email in support of Brazilian calls to put
this
rainforest give-away, veiled as revisions of the Forestry Code,
to rest
once and for all.
More
information at:
12/06/99--Brazil
Forestry Code Vote Pending
http://forests.org/recent/1999/brforcod.htm
04/20/00--Environmentalists
Welcome Brazilian Amazon Reserve Package
http://forests.org/recent/2000/newbrfco.htm
05/13/00--Draft
Law Could Reduce Brazil Amazon Reserve Area
http://forests.org/recent/2000/dralawco.htm
g.b.
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RELAYED
TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: URGENT ACTION: Brazil Ranchers Call for
More Destruction -
Key Vote in Congress May 24
Source: Instituto Socioambiental & Environmental
Defense
Status: Copyright 2000, contact source for
permission to reprint
Date: May 17, 2000
The
large landowners and ranchers caucus of the Brazilian Congress on
May 9th
passed draft legislation out of committee that would increase
cutting
and burning of the Amazon forest 25% over current yearly
rates,
about 4,250 square kilometers a year at 1998 rates, or an area
164
times as large as Washington DC of additional deforestation.
Support
Brazil's Amazonian and national grassroots and environmental
organizations
in saving the forest, and defeating the 1% of
landowners
who control 50% of the agricultural land and have already
cut, burned
and abandoned an area of forest bigger than Florida!
A vote
on the plan is scheduled on the floor of the Brazilian House of
Representatives
on May 24. Please fax or e-mail Brazilian President
Fernando
Henrique Cardoso (FHC) respectfully requesting that he work
to
defeat this measure, and approve the National Environmental Council
(CONAMA)
proposal. Insiders in Brazil tell us that FHC has asked to
personally
see all the international correspondence on this issue.
Brazilian
environmentalists, the media, and society at large have
overwhelmingly
mobilized against the ranchers special interest group,
jamming
the mailboxes of Congress and dominating the airwaves. But
your
voice is needed will have an effect in supporting Brazilian
grassroots,
environmental, union and human rights organizations and
public
opinion to stop this stick-up of Brazil's irreplaceable natural
patrimony.
Fax or
E-Mail President Cardoso NOW!
(Sample
message)
Ilmo.
Exmo. Sr.
Presidente
da Republica do Brasil
Palacio
do Planalto
Brasilia,
DF
Brasil
fax:
011-55-61-224-0289; 011-55-61-226-7566
e-mail: presidencia@planalto.gov.br ;
pr@planalto.gov.br
Dear
Mr. President:
I
respectfully urge you to call on your congressional supporters to
defeat Mr.
Michelletto's proposed revisions of your Forestry Code, and
to
support the National Environment Council (CONAMA) proposal
negotiated
by your government and overwhelmingly supported by
Brazilian
society.
Thank
you for your attention.
__________________________________________________________
For
further information :
Environmental
Defense
Steve
Schwartzman
sschwartzman@environmentaldefense.org
202-387-3500
Instituto
Socioambiental
Adriana
Ramos
adriana@socioambiental.org
-011-55-61-349-5114
###RELAYED
TEXT ENDS###
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