7 August 2001
Brazilian government decides to increase protected areas in the Amazon
But the plan needs to be implemented

Borba, Amazon - The Brazilian federal government announced it will convert 2.4 million hectares of squatter lands into eight protected areas in the Amazon.

In April, Greenpeace and other civil organisations presented a proposal to transform 100 million hectares of illegally claimed land in the Amazon into parks, biological reserves and areas for sustainable development.

Today, the Brazilian Minister of Agrarian Development, Raul Jungmann, made the announcement to convert 2.4 million hectares of this land in a ceremony with Greenpeace and representatives of the other organisations who proposed the measure.

The Government chose to make this anncouncement in Borba, a small town along the Madeira River, because it is the site where they found a 657,000 hectares farm which is claimed to be owned by two Malaysian (loggers) based on false documents. Jungmann announced the farm was expropriated today.

This is just one area out of 100 million hectares of Amazon forest that Jungmann says were illegally 'privatised' by farmers and loggers using fake papers, complacent registration officials and legal, but suspicious, judicial decisions.

The total amount anncounced for conversion, 2.4 million hectares of Brazilian Amazon, are going to be transformed into one national park, two extractive reserves and four national forest areas to be managed in a sustainable way. The land that was expropriated today might be turned into one more national forest. (2)

Greenpeace Amazon campaigner Paulo Adario says, that along with the other organisations, we applaud the Ministry of Agrarian Development for the creation of these new protected areas, "but we urge the implementation of these measures by other sectors of the federal government."

"These measures must be defined with the participation of local communities living in the areas now under legal protection," said Adario. "We call on the international community to help Brazil to transform its 'paper parks' into real protection by financial and technical support."

Also attending the ceremony was Adilson Vieira, Coordinator of the Pastoral Commission of Land, a branch of the Catholic Church. "Traditional communities are the best allies of forest protection as they live from the forest resources exploited in a sustainable way," said Vieira.

TAKE ACTION: Add your voice in support for indigenous land rights by writing to the President of Brazil supporting the demarcation of all indigenous territory.

If the remaining indigenous lands are demarcated under Brazilian law, approximately 20 percent of the Brazilian Amazon would be protected.

Read the Greenpeace press realese from 21 April 2001 calling for the conversion of squatter lands.

Notes:
(1) The proposal was submitted by NGOs's to the Brazilian Parliament and the Government in April 2001, during a public hearing in Brasília on illegal lands. The demand was signed by the following NGO's : Forum Permanente de Debates da Amazonia (FORAM), Grupo de Trabalho Amazonico(GTA), Commissao Pastoral da Terra, Conselho Indigenista Misionario (CIMI), Fundacao Vitoria Amazonica, Instituto de Pesquisa e desenvolvimento Amazonico, Oficina Escola da Lutheria da Amazonia e Sociedade de Pesquisa e Conservacao da Amazonia .

(2) National Forests (Flonas) are public forest destined to sustainable use - including well managed logging. Extractive reserves are public land collectively owned by forest people such as rubber-trappers to be exploited in a sustainable way.