Record Deforestation During Cardoso Administration

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AMAZONIAN DEFORESTATION DURING THE CARDOSO ADMINISTRATION:
RECORD BREAKING AND EQUIVALENT TO THE SIZE OF TWO BELGIUMS

SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS - SP - (JANUARY 26, 1998) - After a long
delay, the federal government released yesterday (Monday) the
data on deforestation in the Amazon during 1995 and 1996, as
well as estimates for 1997. According to the numbers disclosed
by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), responsible
for the processing and analysis of sensory remote objects by the
satellite Landsat, the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Administration,
which covers a majority of time in this period, is the
historical champion of deforestation in the Amazon.

In the last three years, according to INPE, 60,128 km2 of forest
have been destroyed, corresponding to the total land in the
states of Sergipe and Rio de Janeiro, for instance. This number
elevates the total area deforested in the Amazon from 469,978
km2 to 530,106 km2. This signifies that in only three years,
deforestation in the Amazon has accounted for 11.34 per cent of
the total destruction in the Amazon since Brazil was discovered
in 1500.

According to INPE data -- released in the presence of two State
Ministers (Israel Vargas, of Science and Technology, and Gustavo
Krause, of Environment and Amazon Regulatory Area), as well as
the IBAMA President Eduardo Martins -- 1995 was the champion of
deforestation, with destruction of 29,059 km2 of Amazon Forest,
a number much greater than the historical average in the worst
period of devastation throughout the 1970s and 80s (around
21,000 km2 a year.) During the earlier biennial (1992-1994,) the
area deforested annually reached 14,896 km2. In other words,
there was a frightening expansion of deforestation in 1995 by 95
percent. The estimated deforestation in 1997, according to INPE,
was 13,037 km2. Even considering the reduction that is estimated
to have occurred last year, deforestation is still greater than
what was observed during the beginning of the decade.

Minister Israel Vargas tried to justify the delay in releasing
the data using economic reasons (a lack of R$2.5 million in
financial resources), bureaucratic and technical. But Greenpeace
considers the numbers presented by INPE alarming. It is absurd
that the government claims financial difficulties in processing
the data about Amazon deforestation, yet does not hesitate to
burn US$6 billion in one week to protect the Real from
speculation during the Asian financial crisis.

"While the public waited two years for access to the data on
1995 deforestation, the threat to the Amazon did not even
deserve the same rapid action as was taken to secure the Real,
when in a matter of days, economic authorities introduced 51
fiscal measures to protect the economy. This clearly
demonstrates the lack of importance environmental questions have
for the current government," said Paulo Adario, of the
Greenpeace Brazil Tropical Forests Campaign. "While the
government waited, 60,000 km2 Amazon Forest -- an area the size
of two Belgium countries -- disappeared," he continued. "We have
to remember that the public data refers only to the clear
cutting and does not include what is called selective cutting
done by the logging companies, for example. If this area were
included in the calculations, the rate of deforestation in the
Amazon would be considerably greater."

During the presentation of the numbers, it was clear that the
government has no control over the causes of deforestation -- at
best it is able to with delays ascertain the devastation -- and
has no proposal or even palliative measures to try to confront
the problem. 

Greenpeace on the Internet at http://www.greenpeace.org