護(hù)生茶樓:不要因?yàn)槟�每日的菜單而吃了地球的�?---巴西亞馬遜森林(呼吁信)

不要因?yàn)槟�每日的菜單而吃了地球的�?---巴西亞馬遜森林


這是散發(fā)給歐洲朋友的一封信，呼吁他們不要一面做環(huán)保工作（歐洲，尤其是西歐與北歐是當(dāng)代全球環(huán)保力量的中堅(jiān))，一面卻因每日的菜單而蟬食地球之肺---亞馬遜的森林。

下面是中文大意（順便把前面的中文文字也加了進(jìn)去作為另一附件)。希望多多轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)，利益世界。謝謝。

祝吉祥


*****************************************************************

親愛的朋友，

我們都知道如何敬愛我們的生身父母，但很多時(shí)候，我們很少關(guān)注地球母親。地球?yàn)槿祟愄峁┝艘磺�，甚至超過我們父母對(duì)我們的供給。

所有的戒令都說生而勿殺，但我們?nèi)祟悈s在殺害至關(guān)重要的一個(gè)生命--我們的地球母親。

我們必須馬上行動(dòng)，停止以我們每日的餐飲而謀殺地球之肺--亞馬遜流域的森林。

我們長(zhǎng)于欺騙自己，不把盤中之餐與別的生命的生死、謀殺關(guān)聯(lián)起來，以便心安理得。如果地球生態(tài)走到毀滅的一天，這個(gè)謊言也便宣告結(jié)束。

肯求您把這個(gè)訊息轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)給您的家人與朋友，請(qǐng)讓我們的人類兄弟與姐妹明白，我們所吃的食物正在導(dǎo)致全球性的森林毀滅與氣候的災(zāi)難性變化。

謝謝您通過幫助我們的地球母球，從而幫助我們?nèi)祟愖约骸?br >
一直愛您的，

XXX





附件一：您的菜單正在毀滅地球之肺---亞馬遜森林

牛類養(yǎng)殖是導(dǎo)致亞馬遜流域森林破壞的主導(dǎo)原因。從上世界七十年代以來就形成了這種狀況：來自政府當(dāng)局的統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)表明，1966年至1975年十年之間，被毀滅的亞馬遜森林當(dāng)中，有百分之三十八的面積是用于規(guī)�；�的牛只養(yǎng)殖。

現(xiàn)今的狀況已經(jīng)變得更為糟糕。國(guó)際森林研究所（International ForestryResearch)的數(shù)據(jù)表明“在1990年到2001年的十年之間，歐洲從巴西進(jìn)口的加工肉類占總?cè)忸愡M(jìn)口量的百分比，從百分之四十，上升到百分之七十四。到了2003年，巴西的肉類的大部分都是供出口用，而這些肉類中的百分之八十都是以毀滅亞馬遜林林而獲得的。

換而言之，正在遭受毀滅的亞馬遜的森林，有百分之六十以上是因?yàn)槲覀兿矚g的牛肉而徹底毀滅，成為地球沙漠化與暖化的直接原因，是我們的嘴與胃造成了當(dāng)前的困境。

全球氣候的變化是當(dāng)代世界的最大威脅，可以說，我們幾乎已經(jīng)失去搶救的時(shí)間。我們必須立即行動(dòng)，堅(jiān)定而又齊心協(xié)力。我們必須達(dá)成一致的意見，設(shè)立目標(biāo)，降低當(dāng)前人類活動(dòng)對(duì)地球生態(tài)與氣候的災(zāi)難性影響。堅(jiān)決我們的意志，聯(lián)合我們的力量，讓我們?nèi)祟惞餐�認(rèn)識(shí)、解決這無比緊迫的危機(jī)。



附件二：沙漠化與水污染的根源

為了地球家園與人類明天尚存，為了太陽照常升起，人類兄弟們，請(qǐng)不以要屠殺、食肉為生

如果地球環(huán)境資源崩潰：

那么，無論貧富貴賤，也不管您是什么樣的人生信仰，無論拜物教，荷爾蒙拜性教，莊老孔孟，大乘小乘，顯宗密宗，拜火教，或是伊斯蘭，不管是標(biāo)榜哪一種內(nèi)道、外道、正教、邪教，就全玩完了。一部分自命高明的人可能象其設(shè)想的那樣羽化登仙，但至少在肉體存在的意義上游戲結(jié)束了。

北方的畜牧業(yè)，使本來已經(jīng)脆弱的草原與高原生態(tài)以前所末有的瘋狂速度走向崩潰，沙漠化愈演愈烈，飛沙走石，一日千丈；掘井千尋，亦無水可得！

南方的養(yǎng)殖業(yè)，使南方的水資源與土壤資源破化殆盡。須知，養(yǎng)殖業(yè)對(duì)南方生態(tài)環(huán)境，尤其是對(duì)土壤與水資源的破化已經(jīng)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過工業(yè)化對(duì)中國(guó)南方環(huán)境的污染。即使是以倡導(dǎo)科學(xué)民主為己任的《南方周末》，在五六年前的長(zhǎng)篇繁冗報(bào)導(dǎo)中，就已經(jīng)發(fā)出嚴(yán)厲的揭示與警告。

背后的原因與驅(qū)動(dòng)力很簡(jiǎn)單，是因?yàn)楦黄饋淼呐c“現(xiàn)代化”、“文明”起來的人們對(duì)魚、肉，禽、奶與蛋等“高蛋白”如癡似迷的渴求，為了那個(gè)原本應(yīng)該用來講圣賢之道傳播善與美的訊息的嘴巴的奢欲。

畜牧業(yè)與養(yǎng)殖業(yè)，一南一北，使整個(gè)中國(guó)處于水火交加的災(zāi)難狀態(tài)，成為中國(guó)環(huán)境資源破產(chǎn)的第一因緣。

如果我們還希望這個(gè)養(yǎng)育人類千萬年的地球還可以繼續(xù)作為我們的家園，這一切必須馬上停止，不容遲緩！

皮之不存，毛將蔫附---呼請(qǐng)所有有正常理性判斷能力的人們?cè)谂e箸之時(shí)三思：您的三寸咽喉決定了中國(guó)與子孫后代的命運(yùn)！請(qǐng)象愛護(hù)您的臟腑與您自己的家室一樣珍惜這生養(yǎng)萬物的大地山河。如果我們將其變成屠場(chǎng)，我們自己最終將成為其中的犧牲與祭品！

耶圣說，種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆，加之于彼的一切，將還之于身；孔圣日，己所不欲，不施于人；釋尊云，因果歷歷，無一可免。

在這個(gè)空前絕后的時(shí)代，我們可以大膽地忘記甚至恥笑這些儒釋耶回宗師的教誨，但請(qǐng)以人類正常的理性思維，察看當(dāng)下肉眼可見的一切，停止一切暴行，不要因?yàn)槟�的盤中之餐把大地母親逼上死路。請(qǐng)讓這個(gè)地球得以茍延殘喘，毫無疑問，即使是為了我們當(dāng)前不無崇尚的物質(zhì)與肉體享受能持續(xù)的更多一些時(shí)日，這也相當(dāng)必要與緊迫了。

拋開形形式的背景與分歧，在當(dāng)代日漸逼近的環(huán)境危機(jī)之前，人類社會(huì)必須達(dá)成一個(gè)普世的倫理價(jià)值觀：任何種族、文明、宗教、哲學(xué)與科學(xué)技術(shù)，如果其言其行其旨其趣于維護(hù)地球生態(tài)環(huán)境有利，則為確定之善；如果損害地球環(huán)境，無論其學(xué)說、理論如何的天花亂墜，則為毫無疑義之真惡。

您的行動(dòng)將會(huì)被永世銘記。要知，人會(huì)盲目，天絕不瞎眼。


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Sub: Stop killing Brazilian Amazon, the lung of the earth planet with our daily menu


Dear all,

We know how to pay our love and respection to our dear parents in thefamily, while we care little about the Mother Earth, who provideseverything to human being, much more than our family parents.

All the Command tell us not to kill, but we human are killing the critically important life----the Earth Mother.

We must act and STOP murdering Brazilian Amazon with our daily menu.

We are skilled in deceiving ourselves not associating the food in theplate with the death of other life. The deceit will come to an end ifthe Earth Mother is murdered finally.

Please forward the message to your family, your friends. Please try tomake all human brother and sister realize the relationship between whatwe eat and the large-scale forest destuction and the catastrophicclimate change.

Thanks for your action to help yourself by helping the Mother Earth.

Yours



P.S. The huge impact to the earth environment from your daily table menu


Cattle ranching is the leading cause of deforestation in the BrazilianAmazon. This has been the case since at least the 1970s: governmentfigures attributed 38 percent of deforestation from 1966-1975 tolarge-scale cattle ranching.

However, today the situation may be even worse. According to the Centerfor International Forestry Research (CIFOR), "between 1990 and 2001 thepercentage of Europe"s processed meat imports that came from Brazilrose from 40 to 74 percent" and by 2003 "for the first time ever, thegrowth in Brazilian cattle production—80 percent of which was in theAmazon—was largely export driven."


Climate change is the greatest threat facing our world today--and weare almost out of time to stop it. You must tackle this problem now,decisively and together. Start working toward a new global agreementthis year. Set binding global targets for emissions to avertcatastrophic climate change. Take bold action immediately--and we willjoin our efforts with yours.
－－－－－－－－－－－中國(guó)也面臨同樣的嚴(yán)峻問題，甚至是更為嚴(yán)重，希望能引起各位注意，各人盡一份力，為世界添一份好。
－－－－－－－－－－－亞馬遜森林遭受毀滅的根源分析報(bào)告

原出處：
http://www。mongabay。com/brazil.html


Deforestation in the Amazon
By Rhett A Butler

Between May 2000 and August 2006, Brazillost nearly 150,000 square kilometers offorest—an area larger than Greece—and since 1970, over 600,000 squarekilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have beendestroyed. Why is Brazil losing so much forest? What can be done toslow deforestation?

DEFORESTATION IN BRAZIL: 60-70 percent of deforestation in theAmazon results from cattle ranches while the rest mostly results fromsmall-scale subsistence agriculture. Despite the widespread pressattention, large-scale farming (i.e. soybeans) currently contributesrelatively little to total deforestation in the Amazon. Most soybeancultivation takes place outside the rainforest in the neighboringcerrado grassland ecosystem and in areas that have already beencleared. Logging results in forest degradation but rarely directdeforestation. However, studies have showed a close correlation betweenlogging and future clearing for settlement and farming. [Português | Español] Deforestation by state Deforestation Figures for Brazil Year Deforestation [sq mi] Deforestation [sq km] Change [%] 1988 8,127 21,050 1989 6,861 17,770 -16% 1990 5,301 13,730 -23% 1991 4,259 11,030 -20% 1992 5,323 13,786 25% 1993 5,751 14,896 8% 1994 5,751 14,896 0% 1995 11,220 29,059 95% 1996 7,012 18,161 -38% 1997 5,107 13,227 -27% 1998 6,712 17,383 31% 1999 6,664 17,259 -1% 2000 7,037 18,226 6% 2001 7,014 18,165 0% 2002 8,187 21,205 17% 2003 9,711 25,151 19% 2004 10,590 27,429 9% 2005 7,256 18,793 -31% 2006 5,421 14,040 -49% 2007 3,865 10,010 -47% All figures derived from official National Institute of Space Research (INPE) data.  Individual state figures. *For the 1978-1988 period the figures represent the average annual rates of deforestation. Causes of deforestation in the Amazon Cattle ranches 60-70% Small-scale, subsistence agriculture 30-40% Large-scale, commercial agriculture 1-2% Logging, legal and illegal 2-4% Fires, mining, urbanization, road construction, dams 2-4% Selective logging and fires that burn under the forestcanopy commonly result in forest degradation, not deforestation.Therefore these factor less in overall deforestation figures. The above pie chart showing deforestation in the Amazonby cause is based on the median figures for estimate ranges. Pleasenote the low estimate for large-scale agriculture. Between 2000-2005soybean cultivation reesulted in a small overall percentage of directdeforestation. Nevertheless the role of soy is quite significant in theAmazon. As explained by Dr. Philip Fearnside, "Soybean farms cause someforest clearing directly. But they have a much greater impact ondeforestation by consuming cleared land, savanna, and transitionalforests, thereby pushing ranchers and slash-and-burn farmers everdeeper into the forest frontier. Soybean farming also provides a keyeconomic and political impetus for new highways and infrastructureprojects, which accelerate deforestation by other actors." Colombia Colombia Rainforest cleared for maize Slash-and-burn agriculture in Peru Slash-and-burn agriculture in Peru Plane view of deforestation in the Amazon Mining in Peru Mining in Peru Clear-cutting in the Amazon rainforest Slash-and-burn agriculture in the Peruvian Amazon Giant Rio Huaypetue gold mine Aerial view of deforestation in the Amazon Mining in Peru Mining in Peru More deforestation pictures I have hundreds of deforestation pictures

Why is the Brazilian Amazon being Destroyed?Inmany tropical countries, the majority of deforestation results from theactions of poor subsistence cultivators. However, in Brazil only aboutone-third of recent deforestation can be linked to "shifted"cultivators. Historically a large portion of deforestation in Brazilcan be attributed to land clearing for pastureland by commercial andspeculative interests, misguided government policies, inappropriateWorld Bank projects, and commercial exploitation of forest resources.For effective action it is imperative that these issues be addressed.Focusing solely on the promotion of sustainable use by local peoplewould neglect the most important forces behind deforestation in Brazil.

Brazilian deforestation is strongly correlated to the economichealth of the country: the decline in deforestation from 1988-1991nicely matched the economic slowdown during the same period, while therocketing rate of deforestation from 1993-1998 paralleled Brazil"speriod of rapid economic growth. During lean times, ranchers anddevelopers do not have the cash to rapidly expand their pasturelandsand operations, while the government lacks funds to sponsor highwaysand colonization programs and grant tax breaks and subsidies to forestexploiters.

A relatively small percentage of large landowners clear vastsections of the Amazon for cattle pastureland. Large tracts of forestare cleared and sometimes planted with African savanna grasses forcattle feeding. In many cases, especially during periods of highinflation, land is simply cleared for investment purposes. Whenpastureland prices exceed forest land prices (a condition made possibleby tax incentives that favor pastureland over natural forest), forestclearing is a good hedge against inflation.

Such favorable taxation policies, combined with governmentsubsidized agriculture and colonization programs, encourage thedestruction of the Amazon. The practice of low taxes on income derivedfrom agriculture and tax rates that favor pasture over forestovervalues agriculture and pastureland and makes it profitable toconvert natural forest for these purposes when it normally would not beso.


A Closer Look at Brazilian Deforestation

Today deforestation in the Amazon is the result of several activities, the foremost of which include:

• Clearing for cattle pasture
• Colonization and subsequent subsistence agriculture
• Infrastructure improvements
• Commercial agriculture
• Logging

Clearing for Cattle Pasture
Cattleranching is the leading cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.This has been the case since at least the 1970s: government figuresattributed 38 percent of deforestation from 1966-1975 to large-scalecattle ranching. However, today the situation may be even worse.According to the Center for International Forestry Research(CIFOR), "between 1990 and 2001 the percentage of Europe"s processedmeat imports that came from Brazil rose from 40 to 74 percent" and by2003 "for the first time ever, the growth in Brazilian cattleproduction—80 percent of which was in the Amazon—was largely exportdriven."

Several factors have spurred recent Brazil"s growth as a producer of beef:

• CURRENCYDEVALUATION—The devaluation of the Brazilian real against the dollareffectively doubled the price of beef in reals and created an incentivefor ranchers to expand their pasture areas at the expense of therainforest. The weakness of the real also made Brazilian beef morecompetitive on the world market [CIFOR].
• CONTROL OVER FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE—The eradication offoot-and-mouth disease in much of Brazil has increased price and demandfor Brazilian beef.
• INFRASTRUCTURE—Road construction gives developers andranchers access to previously inaccessible forest lands in the Amazon.Infrastructure improvements can reduce the costs of shipping andpacking beef.
• INTEREST RATES—Rainforest lands are often used for landspeculation purposes. When real pasture land prices exceed real forestland prices, land clearing is a good hedge against inflation. At timesof high inflation, the appreciation of cattle prices and the stream ofservices (milk) they provide may outpace the interest rate earned onmoney left in the bank.
• LAND TENURE LAWS—In Brazil, colonists and developers can gaintitle to Amazon lands by simply clearing forest and placing a few headof cattle on the land. As an additional benefit, cattle are a low-riskinvestment relative to cash crops which are subject to wild priceswings and pest infestations. Essentially cattle are a vehicle for landownership in the Amazon.

Some have suggested that agricultural certification could help reduce destructive clearing for cattle pasture.


Colonization and subsequent subsistence agriculture
Asignificant amount of deforestation is caused by the subsistenceactivities of poor farmers who are encouraged to settle on forest landsby government land policies. In Brazil, each squatter acquires theright (known as a usufruct right) to continue using a piece of land byliving on a plot of unclaimed public land (no matter how marginal theland) and "using" it for at least one year and a day. After five yearsthe squatter acquires ownership and hence the right to sell the land.Up until at least the mid-1990s this system was worsened by thegovernment policy that allowed each claimant to gain title for anamount of land up to three times the amount of forest cleared.

Poor farmers use fire for clearing land and every year satellite images pick up tens of thousands of fires burning across the Amazon.Typically understory shrubbery is cleared and then forest trees arecut. The area is left to dry for a few months and then burned. The landis planted with crops like bananas, palms, manioc, maize, or rice.After a year or two, the productivity of the soil declines, and thetransient farmers press a little deeper and clear new forest for moreshort-term agricultural land. The old, now infertile fields are usedfor small-scale cattle grazing or left for waste.

Between 1995 and 1998, the government granted land in theAmazon to roughly 150,000 families. Forty-eight percent of forest lossin 1995 was in areas under 125 acres (50 hectares) in size, suggestingthat both loggers and peasants are significant contributors todeforestation.


Infrastructure Improvements

Roadconstruction in the Amazon leads to deforestation. Roads provide accessto logging and mining sites while opening forest frontier land toexploitation by poor landless farmers.

Brazil"s Trans-Amazonian Highway was one of the most ambitiouseconomic development programs ever devised, and one of the mostspectacular failures. In the 1970s, Brazil planned a 2,000-mile highwaythat would bisect the massive Amazon forest, opening rainforest landsto (1) settlement by poor farmers from the crowded, drought-plaguednorth and (2) development of timber and mineral resources. Colonistswould be granted a 250-acre lot, six-months" salary, and easy access toagricultural loans in exchange for settling along the highway andconverting the surrounding rainforest into agricultural land. The planwould grow to cost Brazil US$65,000 (1980 dollars) to settle eachfamily, a staggering amount for Brazil, a developing country at thetime.

The project was plagued from the start. The sediments of theAmazon Basin rendered the highway unstable and subject to inundationduring heavy rains, blocking traffic and leaving crops to rot. Harvestyields for peasants were dismal since the forest soils were quicklyexhausted, and new forest had to be cleared annually. Logging wasdifficult due to the widespread distribution of commercially valuabletrees. Rampant erosion, up to 40 tons of soil per acre (100 tons/ha)occurred after clearing. Many colonists, unfamiliar with banking andlured by easy credit, went deep into debt.

Adding to the economic and social failures of the project, arethe long-term environmental costs. After the construction of theTrans-Amazonian Highway, Brazilian deforestation accelerated to levelsnever before seen and vast swaths of forest were cleared forsubsistence farmers and cattle-ranching schemes. The Trans-AmazonianHighway is a prime example of the environmental havoc that is caused byroad construction in the rainforest.

Road construction and improvement continues in the Amazon today: Paving of roads brings change in the Amazon rainforest and the Chinese economy drives road-building and deforestation in the Amazon


Commercial agriculture
Recently,soybeans have become one of the most important contributors todeforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Thanks to a new variety ofsoybean developed by Brazilian scientists to flourish in rainforestclimate, Brazil is on the verge of supplanting the United States as theworld"s leading exporter of soybeans.  High soybean prices have also served as an impetus to expanding soybean cultivation.

Philip Fearnside, co-author of a report in Science[21-May-04] and member of Brazil"s National Institute for AmazonianResearch in Manaus, explains,"Soybean farms cause some forest clearing directly. But they have amuch greater impact on deforestation by consuming cleared land,savanna, and transitional forests, thereby pushing ranchers andslash-and-burn farmers ever deeper into the forest frontier. Soybeanfarming also provides a key economic and political impetus for newhighways and infrastructure projects, which accelerate deforestation byother actors."

Satellite data from 2004 shows a marked increase in deforestation along the BR-163 road,a highway the government has been paving in an effort to help soyfarmers from Mato Grosso get their crops to export markets. Typically,roads encourage settlement by rural poor who look to the rainforest asfree land for subsistence agriculture.


Logging
Intheory, logging in the Amazon is controlled by strict licensing whichallows timber to be harvested only in designated areas. However, thereis significant evidence that illegal logging is quite widespread inBrazil. In recent years, Ibama—Brazil"s environmental enforcementagency—has made several large seizures of illegally harvested timberincluding one in September 2003 when 17 people were arrested forallegedly cutting 10,000 hectares worth of timber.

Logging in the Amazon is closely linked with road building.Studies by the Environmental Defense Fund show that areas that havebeen selectively loggedare eight times more likely to be settled and cleared by shiftingcultivators than untouched rainforests because of access granted bylogging roads. Logging roads give colonists access to rainforest, whichthey exploit for fuelwood, game, building material, and temporaryagricultural lands.

Related articles
• Selective logging leads to clear-cutting in the Amazon rainforest
• "Stealth logging" doubles amount of rain forest disturbance in the Amazon
• Selective logging can have low impact on Amazon rainforest says FAO
• Amazon to be logged sustainably says Brazil
• Brazil to crackdown on illegal logging says Environment Minister
• Logging in the Rainforest

Other causes of forest loss in Brazil
Historically,hydroelectric projects have flooded vast areas of Amazon rainforest.The Balbina dam flooded some 2,400 square kilometers (920 square miles)of rainforest when it was completed. Phillip Fearnside, a leadingexpert on the Amazon, calculated that in the first three years of itsexistence, the Balbina Reservoir emitted 23,750,000 tons of carbondioxide and 140,000 tons of methane, both potent greenhouse gases whichcontribute to global climate change.

Mining has impacted some parts of the Amazon Basin. During the1980s, over 100,000 prospectors invaded the state of Para when a largegold deposit was discovered, while wildcat miners are still active inthe state of Roraima near the Venezuelan border. Typically, minersclear forest for building material, fuelwood collection, andsubsistence agriculture.


Fires
Virtuallyall forest clearing, by small farmer and plantation owner alike, isdone by fire. Though these fires are intended to burn only limitedareas, they frequently escape agricultural plots and pastures and charpristine rainforest, especially in dry years like 2005.Many of the fires set for clearing forest for these purposes are setduring the three-month burning season and the smoke produced createswidespread problems across the region, including airport closings andhospitalizations from smoke inhalation. These fires cover a vast areaof forest. In 1987 during a four-month period (July-October), about19,300 square miles (50,000 sq. km) of Brazilian Amazon were burned inthe states of Parà, Rondonia, Mato Grosso, and Acre. The burningproduced carbon dioxide containing more than 500 million tons ofcarbon, 44 million tons of carbon monoxide, and millions of tons ofother particles and nitrogen oxides. An estimated 20 percent of firesthat burn between June and October cause new deforestation, whileanother 10 percent is the burning of ground cover in virgin forests.

Fires and climate change are having a dramatic impact on the Amazon.  Recent studiessuggest that the Amazon rainforest may be losing its ability to staygreen all year long as forest degradation and drought make it dangerously flammable.Scientists say that as much as 50 percent of the Amazon could go up insmoke should fires continue. Humidity levels were the lowest everrecorded in the Amazon in 2005.


Slavery and Violence in the Amazon
TheAmazon has been a place of violence since at least the arrival ofEuropean explorers, and the present is no exception. Violent conflictsbetween large landowners, poor colonists, and indigenous groups overland are not unusual in the Amazon and may be worsening.

The Pastoral Land Commission, a nongovernmental group workingin the region, found that land battles in Brazil"s countryside reachedthe highest level in at least 20 years in 2004. According to the annualreport by the organization, documented conflicts over land amongpeasants, farmers, and land speculators rose to 1,801 in 2004 from1,690 conflicts in 2003 and 925 recorded in 2002. Tensions reachedtheir peak earlier this year with the high-profile slaying of DorothyStang, an American nun who worked with rural poor, by gunmen associatedwith plantation owners. In response to the murder, the Braziliangovernment sent in the army to quell violence in the region andpromised to step up environmental monitoring efforts.

The government has also stepped up efforts to end slavery inthe Amazon. While Brazil officially abolished slavery in 1888, thegovernment acknowledges that at least 25,000 Brazilians work under"conditions analogous to slavery," clearing land and working for cattleranches, soy farms, and other labor-intensive industries. Some groupssay the true figure could be ten times that amount. In 2005, 4,133slaves were freed after Brazilian Swat-style teams raided 183 farms.


What can de done to save the Amazon rainforest in Brazil?Today Brazil faces an enormous challenge: how to balance economic growth with the preservation of the Amazon rainforest.

• Rehabilitation and increased productivity of formerly forested lands
• Expansion of protection areas
• Development based on concepts of sustainable use of some existing forest
• Land policy reform
• Law Enforcement

News on the Amazon Rainforest XMLU.S. corn subsidies drive Amazon destruction
(12/13/2007)U.S. corn subsidies for ethanol production are contributing todeforestation of the Amazon rainforest, reports a tropical forestscientist writing in this week"s issue of the journal Science.

Amazon Conservation Team wins "Innovation in Conservation Award" for path-breaking work with Amazon tribes
(12/11/2007) The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) was today awardedmongabay。com"s inaugural "Innovation in Conservation Award" for itspath-breaking efforts to enable indigenous Amazonians to maintain tiesto their history and cultural traditions while protecting theirrainforest home from illegal loggers and miners.

Controversial dam in the Amazon gets Brazilian go-ahead
(12/11/2007) The Brazilian government has awarded rights to build andoperate a controversial R$10bn hydroelectric power plant on the Madeirariver in the Amazon rainforest near the border with Bolivia, accordingto FT。com.

A comprehensive look at the use of animals in Brazilian medicine
(12/10/2007) For millennia animals have been used in medicine asremedies. While this practice has all but disappeared in westerncountries, many cultures still employ traditional medicine thatincludes animal-derived remedies. Probably the most famous of these arethe Chinese, who for example use seahorses for a variety of ailmentsand rhinoceros horn as an aphrodisiac. Lesser known and studied, thoughjust as varied and rich is Brazil"s long tradition of animal-remediesfor all kinds of ailments. A recent study set out to document thewide-range of animals used in Brazilian traditional medicine and itspossible consequences on animal populations, the environment, andBrazilian society.

Amazon deforestation rates drop 20% in 2007
(12/8/2007) Deforestation rates in Brazil"s Amazon rainforest dropped20 percent since last year, reported the Brazilian National Instituteof Space Research (INPE).

Global warming accelerates destruction of the Amazon
(12/6/2007) Deforestation and climate change could damage or destroy asmuch as 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest by 2030, according to a newreport from environmental group WWF. The report, The Amazon"s ViciousCycles: Drought and Fire in the Greenhouse, shows that degradation inthe Amazon could release 55-97 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2030.Forest loss could also dramatically impact water cycles in the region,affecting rainfall that is critical for river flows and agriculture.

Amazon deforestation could be eliminated with carbon priced at $3
(12/4/2007) The Amazon rainforest could play a major part in reducinggreenhouse gas emissions that result from deforestation, reports a newstudy published by scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center, theInstituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, and the UniversidadeFederal de Minas Gerais. At a carbon price of $3 per ton, protectingthe Amazon for its carbon value could outweigh the opportunity costs offorgoing logging, cattle ranching, and soy expansion in the region.2008 certified emission-reduction credits for carbon currently trade atmore than $90 per ton ($25 per ton of CO2).

Could the carbon market save the Amazon rainforest?
(11/29/2007) The global carbon market could play a key role in savingthe Amazon from the effects of climate change and economic development,which could otherwise trigger dramatic ecological changes, reports anew paper published in Science. The authors argue that awell-articulated plan, financed by carbon markets, could prevent theworst outcomes for the Amazon forest while generating economic benefitsfor the region"s inhabitants.

Dutch bank arranges carbon-conservation deal in the Amazon rainforest
(11/27/2007) Dutch bank Rabobank will launch the first-ever carboncredits project in the Xingu region of the Brazilian Amazon, reportsThe Financial Times.

Ground-breaking Amazon rainforest imagery will help monitor deforestation
(11/27/2007) Scientists have developed a ground-breaking highresolution snapshot of 400,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest.The work will help researchers remotely monitor deforestation,according to the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC).

Amazon rainforest children to get medicinal plant training from shamans
(11/21/2007) The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) -- a group usinginnovative approaches to preserving culture and improving health amongAmazonian rainforest tribes -- has been awarded a $100,000 grant fromNature"s Path, an organic cereal manufacturer. The funds will allow ACTto address one of the most pressing social concerns for Amazon forestdwellers by expanding its educational and cultural "Shamans andApprentice" program for indigenous children in the region.

Whale stranded 1,000 miles up the Amazon river
(11/17/2007) An 18-foot minke whale was found beached on a sandbar1,000 miles up a tributary of the Amazon river, reported Globotelevision and the Associated Press.

In the Amazon, primary forest biodiversity tops that of secondary forest, plantations
(11/12/2007) Plantations and secondary forests are no match for primaryAmazon rainforest in terms of biodiversity, reports the largest everassessment of the biodiversity conservation value in the tropics.

Subtle threats could ruin the Amazon rainforest
(11/7/2007) While the mention of Amazon destruction usually conjures upimages of vast stretches of felled and burned rainforest trees, cattleranches, and vast soybean farms, some of the biggest threats to theAmazon rainforest are barely perceptible from above. Selective logging-- which opens up the forest canopy and allows winds and sunlight todry leaf litter on the forest floor -- and 6-inch high "surface" firesare turning parts of the Amazon into a tinderbox, putting the world"slargest rainforest at risk of ever-more severe forest fires. At thesame time, market-driven hunting is impoverishing some areas of seeddispersers and predators, making it more difficult for forests torecover. Climate change -- an its forecast impacts on the Amazon basin-- further looms large over the horizon.

Proposed gold mine proves controversial in French Guiana rainforest
(11/7/2007) Commercial gold mining threatens a key forest reserve andwetland in French Guiana say scientists who warn that exploitationcould pollute rivers with toxic compounds, threaten wildlife, and putindigenous populations at risk.

New peccary species discovered by embattled Amazon scientist
(11/4/2007) A new species of peccary has been discovered in the Amazonrainforest by a scientist recently charged with biopiracy by theBrazilian government.

Amphibian extinction may be worse than thought
(10/31/2007) Amphibian extinction rates may be higher than previouslythought, according to new DNA analysis that found more than 60unrecognized species in the Guiana Shield of South America.

2007 Amazon fires among worst ever
(10/22/2007) By some measures, forest fires in the Amazon are atnear-record levels, according to analysis Brazilian satellite data bymongabay。com. A surge in soy and cattle prices may be contributing toan increase in deforestation since last year. Last yearenvironmentalists and the Brazilian government heralded a sharp fall indeforestation rates, the third consecutive annual decline after a peakin 2004. Forest loss in the 2006-2007 season was the lowest sincerecord-keeping began in the late in 1970s. While the government triedto claim credit for the drop, analysts at the time said that commodityprices were a more likely driver of slow down: both cattle and soyprices had declined significantly over the previous months.

Brazil to search for oil in the Amazon
(10/21/2007) Brazil"s plan to seek oil in the Western Amazon has upsetenvironmentalists, reports the Associated Press (AP). The NationalPetroleum Agency, or ANP, plans to put US$36 million toward oil and gasexploration in Acre, a state bordering Bolivia, according to Brazilianstate media Agencia Brasil, but environmental officials say no impactstudy has been done to assess how the plan could affect the Amazon.

Uncontacted Amazon tribe spotted by plane in Peru
(10/21/2007) A group of uncontacted indigenous tribesmen were spottedby plane in a remote part of the Peruvian Amazon last month, accordingto Survival International. The region is threatened by illegal mahoganyloggers.

News on the Amazon Rainforest XML

Causes and Effects of Deforestation

Causes of Deforestation A World Imperilled Natural Threats Threats from Humankind Subsistence Activities Economic Restructuring Oil Extraction Logging Mining Fires War Commercial Agriculture Cattle Pasture Hydro, Pollution, Hunting Fuelwood, Roads, Climate Debt Population & Poverty Consumption, Conclusion

Effects of Deforestation Consequences of DeforestationLocal Effects Erosion Loss of Species, Disease Loss of Renewable Resources Climactic Role Atmospheric Role Extinction Rainforest Photos [TOUR] Australia Pictures Belize Pictures Brazil PicturesCambodia Pictures Costa Rica Pictures Gabon Pictures Honduras Pictures Indonesia Pictures Madagascar Pictures Malaysia Pictures Panama Pictures Peru Pictures Thailand Pictures Uganda Pictures Venezuela Pictures

Addressing Deforestation Solutions Introduction Sustainable Development Sustainable Forest Products Eco-tourism Large-scale Forest Products Foods & Genetic Diversity Medicinal Drugs Medicinal Drugs & Pesticides Logging Logging (con"t) Logging (con"t) Cattle Oil Increasing Productivity Conservation Priorities Types of Reserves Reserve Size & Valuation Funding Organization Developing nations Intergovernmental Institutions NGOs Communication, Education International Organizations Indigenous people Conclusion

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

• Rainforest ecology
• Amazon wildlife   [amphibians | birds | fish | insects | mammals | reptiles]
• Amazon people
• Amazon destruction   [deforestation figures | deforestation calculations | deforestation map | world deforestation rates]
• Amazon conservation
• Amazon news
• Further resources   [amazon map | tropical rainforests]

[ 本帖最后由 bay 于 2007/12/16 18:50 編輯 quanxiangyun.cn]
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