. | . |
Bolsonaro's Indigenous land mining policy a billion-dollar backfire by Staff Writers Brisbane, Australia (SPX) Sep 21, 2020
Research has found a proposal to regulate mining of Indigenous lands in Brazil's Amazon rainforest could affect more than 863,000 square kilometres of forest and harm the nation's economy. Led by University of Queensland visiting PhD student Juliana Siqueira-Gay, an international collaboration has warned that President Jair Bolsonaro's 2020 bill to mine inside recognised Indigenous Lands would come at a cost. "Brazil's Indigenous Lands are unbelievably valuable - socially, ecologically and economically," Ms Siqueira-Gay said. "They're a unique category of protected area, covering 1.2 million square kilometres - or 23 per cent - of what is legally recognised as the Amazon. "The Brazilian government wants to capitalise on this value, by bolstering the economy through extending mining. "But we've calculated that this proposed policy - introduced in February this year - could lead to millions, if not billions, of dollars in losses each year. "The loss would be primarily due to effects on rubber, timber and Brazil nut production, increased damage to greenhouse gas mitigation ecosystem services and other vital ecosystem services. "It's a portfolio of ecological assets currently providing Brazil an estimated $7 billion AUD - it simply makes no financial sense to destroy something so valuable." The researchers, based in both Brazil and Australia, crunched existing data and reviewed potential mining locations, quantifying threats from mining to forests and their ecosystems. "The figures were astonishing - it's clear that much of the Amazon is at threat from this proposed policy, including extremely rare ecosystems conservation and incredibly diverse Indigenous groups and their culture" Ms Siqueira-Gay said. "If the 4,600 known mineral deposits existing outside currently protected areas were to be developed, you're looking at 698-thousand square kilometres of forests to be potentially affected. "But, with the approval of this proposed policy, that affected area could increase by 20 per cent, up to 863-thousand square kilometres. "This increase alone is roughly the same size as Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and Israel combined." Study collaborator, Dr Laura Sonter, said she had real concerns for these forests and their supported communities, and hoped the research was heeded by the international community. "If President Bolsonaro's bill is approved by Brazil's congress, there'll be a cascade of negative effects, both domestically in Brazil and internationally," Dr Sonter said. "These lands are home to 222 Indigenous groups, with more than 644 thousand families living in traditional communities and speaking 160 languages. "So, beyond economic costs to the nation, the lives of Indigenous communities will be permanently altered, and there will be significant environmental impacts. "We hope this data can help the Brazilian government, and people, make smart decisions and protect these precious lands."
World lost 100 million hectares of forest in two decades: UN Paris (AFP) Sept 15, 2020 The world has lost nearly 100 million hectares of forests in two decades, marking a steady decline though at a slower pace than before, a UN agency reported Tuesday. The proportion of forest to total land area fell from 31.9 percent in 2000 to 31.2 percent in 2020, now some 4.1 billion hectares, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. It marks "a net loss of almost 100 million hectares of the world's forests," the FAO said. Deforestation has hit particularly hard sub-Saharan Af ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |