Maretti points out the country has created tens of millions of hectares of new protected areas with a goal of consolidating and expanding those regions by tens of millions of hectares more. (There are about 260 hectares in a square mile). The Brazilian government also now has targets for reducing carbon emissions. And it has begun investing more in law enforcement to crack down on illegal clear-cutting. Still, huge obstacles remain. The land is difficult to regulate and, despite its environmental goals, the government continues to fund dams, highways, gas pipelines and other massive infrastructure projects that are, Laurance said, "going to open up the heart of the Amazon like a zipper." Studies show that major projects like these often lead to waves of rampant land speculation, farming, ranching and environmental destruction that is extremely dangerous and difficult to fight. What's more, chopping the forest into fragments makes each fragment even more vulnerable to logging, wildfires, and other destructive activities. "Brazil is still losing upwards of one million hectares [3,900 square miles] a year, even in its best years," Laurance told Discovery News. That's equivalent to about two or three football fields a minute," he said. "I don't think the battle is won by any means." Related Links: Go to Discovery Earth for news, slide shows, interviews and more. |
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