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WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
Update
on Brazil Forest Code
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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org
http://forests.org/ -- Forest
Conservation Archives
http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest
Conservation
07/25/00
OVERVIEW
& COMMENTARY
Following
is WWF-Brazil's update on the status of efforts to revise
Brazil's
forest code. Due to a tremendous public
outcry, efforts to
reduce
the amount of natural forests that must be maintained as legal
reserves
on rural properties was defeated.
Stronger levels of
protection
are in place temporarily until new legislation can be
agreed
upon. We must remain vigilante.
g.b.
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TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Update on Brazil Forest Code Revision
Source: WWF-Brazil, http://www.wwf.org.br
Status: Copyright 2000, contact source for
permission to reprint
Date: July 20, 2000
NEWS
What
was the result of the SOS Forests campaign launched by WWF in the
web?
The
last battle concerning the Brazilian Forestry Code - a group of
laws to
regulate the occupation and use of the nation's forests - was
won by
the environmentalists on May 24. As a result of the popular
claim
against the proposed bill presented by the Congress Mixed
Commission,
aroused by the virtual campaign led by WWF and other NGOs,
which
resulted in over 100,000 E-mail messages sent to congressmen
plus
intensive media coverage, the Congress of the political parties
leaders
decided to file that proposal (which, among other items, meant
to
reduce from 80 to 50% the requirement of a legal reserve of natural
forests
in rural properties in the Amazon rainforest region and from
50 to
20% in the Cerrado region (savannas).
What is
the present forest legislation in Brazil?
Effective
legal reserve requirements for rural properties are 80% in
the
Amazon region, 35% in the Amazonian Cerrado (savannas) and 20% in
all
other regions. That is in accordance to the proposal approved by
the
National Environment Council - Conama, which has the
representation
of all concerned sectors of society. The Conama's text
was
defeated in the Congress Mixed Commission but, due to the filing
of that
Commission's own proposal, it was adopted in the Presidential
Transitory
Act enacted on May 28. Although the Conama's proposal is
now
effective, it does not mean the matter is settled in the
legislative
front.
The very
same Congress Mixed Commission which proposed the reduction
of
forest reserves is still in charge of proposing another law draft
to be
voted on. Considering that the Commission is composed of 14
members
and that 11 of them are Ruralists (representatives of the
great
landowners), there is reason to expect that they would not at
all
favor the present law, for that text was previously defeated in
that
Commission, in spite of being recommended by the Conama (where
the
great landowners and rural workers are also represented).
What
will happen next?
As any
other Brazilian Presidential Transitory Act, this one must be
reenacted
every 30 days until a definite law is approved by Congress.
It is
probable that the text of the act will remain the same
throughout
the periodical enacting, but there is no guarantee that it
will be
so: it may be altered anytime. This means WWF and other
environmentalists
are monitoring the new events or on-going
negotiations,
and will launch another SOS Forests campaign whenever
necessary.
On the other hand, although the quest for a suitable
Forestry
Code is still in the agenda, the matter may not be voted on
until
next year, since the upcoming municipal elections in Brazil will
probably
monopolize Congress for the next few months.
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This
document is a PHOTOCOPY for educational, personal and non-
commercial
use only. Recipients should seek
permission from the
source
for reprinting. All efforts are made to
provide accurate,
timely
pieces; though ultimate responsibility for verifying all
information
rests with the reader. Check out our
Gaia's Forest
Conservation
Archives & Portal at URL= http://forests.org/
Networked
by Forests.org, Inc., gbarry@forests.org