17/06/2011
The Caatinga had 1,921 km² of its area
deforested in the period 2008-2009, according
to the Centre for Remote Sensing of IBAMA.
This indicates that the pace of deforestation
has decreased in the biome. While from 2002
to 2008 the annual average was 0.28% of
deforested area, in 2008-2009 the annual
rate was 0.23%.
The original area of
the Caatinga is 826,411 km². The biome
occupies 11% of the country and is present
in the states of Bahia, Ceará, Piauí,
Pernambuco, Paraíba, Maranhão,
Alagoas, Sergipe, Rio Grande do Norte and
Minas Gerais. The states that deforest more
were: Bahia (638 km²), Ceará
(440 km²) and Piauí (408 km²).
The only exclusively
Brazilian biome, the Caatinga is greatly
influenced by climate change, and has areas
susceptible to desertification. A major
cause of deforestation in the Caatinga is
the illegal logging of native forests to
be converted into firewood and charcoal.
The Ministry of the
Environment and CAIXA [Caixa Econômica
Federal] will allocate R$ 6 million in projects
that promote the sustainable use of the
Caatinga's natural resources.
The United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) considers
the sustainable use of forests as one of
the best ways to prevent desertification
and to ensure a dignified life for the population
of semi-arid and arid regions. The sustainable
use of forests is the theme of World Day
to Combat Desertification, celebrated today
(June 17).
Brazil commemorates
the date launching the book FNMA - 21 anos
fomentando a vida. The publication tells
the history of the National Environment
Fund (Fundo Nacional do Meio Ambiente, in
Portuguese), the Brazilian oldest social
and environmental fund.
+ More
International workshop
discusses ABS regime
13/06/2011
The Secretariat of Biodiversity and Forests
of the MMA promotes this week (June 13-14)
an international workshop with the theme
"Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit
Sharing". The meeting is being held
in Brasilia, but the debates are in English.
Brazilian authorities
and experts from Australia, Mexico and Africa
are attending the meeting. Among the participants
are the Executive Secretary of the MMA,
Francisco Gaetani; the Ministry's Secretary
of Biodiversity and Forests, Bráulio
Dias; and the senior researcher at the United
Nations University, Geoff Burton.
It is hoped that the
discussions will assist staff and managers
of the MMA with responsibility for ABS matters
to develop, on the basis of the experience
of other countries, an assessment of the
operations of the existing ABS regime in
Brazil and possible options for improvement.
