It’s not often in my memory that we get good news about deforestation from Brazil, but I’d say this qualifies. I read an article today on Science Daily called The End of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon? which talks about the dramatic changes that have occurred in the region. Through a combination of market forces and a much more strict government stance, the amount of forestry has, according to this paper, dropped dramatically.

And that’s good news. From an early age, my generation were told about the horrors of deforestation in South America, and how that deforestation was bringing about massive ecological changes. The term “the lungs of the planet” was one I heard a lot as a kid, and I imagined the lungs being riddled with man-made cancers that we had to fight, a battle which, as I aged, I understood would be difficult due to the complex economics involved. However, the article tells us we’ve turned a corner in that regard:

Brazil has lowered deforestation rates 64 percent since 2005. This remarkable achievement was possible through a government crack-down on illegal activities in the region. It was helped by a retraction of the cattle and soybean industries, and a growing effort to exclude deforesters from the beef and soy markets. The article describes how Brazil could build upon this progress to end forest clearing by the year 2020, and the additional funding that will be required to reach this goal.

There’s more, but read it from the horse’s mouth.¬† It’s definitely hopeful words.

Jim