Brazil court orders illegal miners booted from Yanomami Indigenous Reserve
by Shanna Hanbury on 21 May 2021
A court has ordered Brazilian authorities to remove all illegal gold miners from the Yanomami Indigenous Reserve in the Amazon, following five days of attacks and intimidation by the miners against an Indigenous village.
The federal government has still not complied with the May 17 ruling. Army officials say they are planning operations in the region, but have not provided dates. The Federal Police say a team will arrive May 21 to collect data for investigation.
The attacks that began May 10 saw the miners shoot at the village of Palimiú, throw tear gas canisters, and station several boats nearby in an apparent attempt at intimidation.
Study shows more than half of Cerrado’s cattle pasture can be restored
Cattle pasture occupies an area larger than France in Brazil’s Cerrado biome, or 29% of the planet’s most biodiverse savanna.
Research from the University of Brasília shows that more than half of this pastureland can potentially be restored back to its native state.
The research identifies priority areas for restoration and describes possible ways to get there, which it stresses will require strong political will and stakeholder engagement.
Restoration of this pastureland would mean no more of the native Cerrado would need to be cleared to support the beef industry, at the same time conserving biodiversity.
A Repórter Brasil está sob censura judicial desde o dia 9 de outubro de 2015. Saiba mais.
“Consortia of deception” enable destruction in a conservation unit where deforestation is high
By Maurício Hashizume |
10/05/21
The Triunfo do Xingu Environmental Protection Area (EPA) is a key territory in the Xingu Socio-Environmental Diversity Corridor located between São Félix do Xingu and Altamira. About 40% of its area has already been converted to other uses, mainly livestock. Actions by “consortia” formed to deceive governance drive devastation and worsen conflicts
The Triunfo
do Xingu Environmental Protection Area (EPA), in southern Pará state, appears
at the top of several lists of conservation units (CUs) with the highest rates
Deforestation-free beef stymied by Brazil’s unequal supply chain
A decade after signing agreements to ban deforestation caused by the beef industry, cattle ranching continues to be the leading cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
A study reveals disparities between ranchers and meatpackers that make it difficult for the industry to comply with the agreements and that allow deforestation to persist.
Only 100 out of 160 meatpacking plants in the study area, in southeast Pará state, have signed zero-deforestation agreements; of these, only 56 have been audited for their compliance.
Among ranches, bigger ones have the financial resources and access to technology to boost productivity without clearing forest for new pasture, while smaller ones tend not even to be formally registered, depriving them of incentives to aim for compliance.
‘Zero illegal deforestation’ – One more Bolsonaro distortion (commentary)
At U.S. President Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit on Earth Day, 22 April, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro promised “zero illegal deforestation by 2030.”
“Zero illegal deforestation” can be achieved in two ways: by stopping deforestation, and by legalizing the deforestation that is taking place. The second path is in full swing.
A series of laws facilitating “land grabbing” (which in Brazil means large-scale illegal appropriation of government land) is being fast-tracked in the National Congress with support from Bolsonaro.
Once grabbed land is legalized, the deforestation on it can be “amnestied” and subsequent deforestation legally permitted. The end result is more deforestation. All deforestation, legal or not, causes climate change. This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.