Control of Amazon deforestation presents significant evolution

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Brazilian government has reached important advance and acquired ample understanding in the path towards reducing deforestation in the Amazon forest. The Permanent Interministerial Working Group (GPTI) was created in 2003 in order to propose measures and coordinate actions to fight the negative records. Since then, for the last several years, deforestation rates in the Brazilian rainforest have been in steady decline, reaching its lowest registered levels last year.

Brazilian Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira has recently announced the consolidated data referring to deforestation in 2012 and sectoral plans for mitigation of climate change. Through the Amazon Deforestation Monitoring Project - PRODES it was verified the decline of 84% in deforestation rate in 2012, when compared to 2004. The monitoring project has been examining the rates in the Brazilian Amazon via satellite since 1988.

From August 2011 to July 2012, 4,571 square kilometers (1,764 square miles) of Amazon rainforest were cleared, which is 27 percent less than during the previous corresponding period. It was also the lowest percentage of destruction since Brazil began monitoring the Amazon's deforestation, and was the fourth consecutive annual reduction.

With these numbers, the country accomplished 76% of its voluntary deforestation reduction goal in the Amazon as agreed in the international conference on climate change held in Copenhagen - 2009 and approximately 62% of its total emissions’ reduction goal (mitigation of GHG emissions). The goal set at the conference put the deforestation limit at 3,900 square kilometers (1,505 square miles) in 2020. This reduction of emissions from deforestation in Brazil over the last years is the biggest contribution worldwide to mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions.

In the same pathway, the Brazilian tanning industry has been demonstrating its commitment to sustainable business management. The industry is continuously motivated to fine-tune its sustainability tools and strategies for the improvement of activities and environmental performance in areas such as water consumption, residues management, deforestation-free supply chain and raw materials traceability, treatment of wastewater effluents, emission reduction, waste disposal among others.

Sustainability is a very important subject to the Brazilian tanning industry, thus a recurring theme in congresses and seminars organised for the leather sector. The next big event will be the 2nd CICB Sustainability Forum, which will be held on August 28th 2013, at Fenac’s Exhibition Venue, in Novo Hamburgo, Brazil, during the next edition of Courovisão (International Fair of Components, Leather, Chemicals, Equipment and Accessories for Footwear and Manufactured Goods). Panels and debates to discuss and understand the latest trends in sustainability are planned for the event.

“Certainly there are still challenges ahead, but it is interesting to see how the industry is working to help the government to efficiently reduce deforestation in Brazil”, says Fernando Bello, executive president of the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB). The entity is currently a member of the Brazilian Roundtable on Sustainable Livestock (GTPS), which consists of representatives from different sectors that make up the value chain of cattle production in Brazil.

There are a number of initiatives being developed to further understand the real conditions in which cattle contribute to deforestation and the barriers to ensure a deforestation-free supply chain, including technological (monitoring, traceability etc) and policy barriers; research and development of effective ways to address deforestation in ranches that indirectly supply slaughterhouses; promotion and incentives for cattle production that can be verified as being deforestation-free, among other related actions.

“With these initiatives, we want to ensure greater transparency to our businesses and encourage our partners to expand and enhance their responsibility to society. We also understand the importance of further investments regarding advancing science, technology and innovation in the fight against deforestation”, adds the executive. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) Brazil has invested 17 billion EUR in the national research and development system in the period of 2007 to 2010. The national research and innovation efforts have turned Brazil into a strong actor in technology intensive areas, such as Biofuels, Agribusiness research, ICT etc.

Besides the strategies already being developed, the enhancement of sustainable growth in the Amazon regions depends on a number of combined actions such as investment on research to improve production efficiency, creation of alternatives for economical growth in the region, financial rewards for sustainable practices, integrated planned urbanisation, environmental legislation, involvement of local communities and so on.