Home  What's News  About  Contribute  Rainforests    Mission    Introduction    Characteristics    Biodiversity    The Canopy    Forest Floor    Forest Waters    Indigenous People    Deforestation    Consequences    Saving Rainforests    Country Profiles    Works Cited  Deforestation Stats  Pictures  Books  Links  Site Map  Mongabay Sites    Animal Photos    Conservation    Travel Tips    Tropical Fish  Guestbook  Contact Deforestation in the Amazon 2004 Saving the Amazon Rainforest Soybeans in the Amazon The Impact of Growing Demand for Beef on the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil Brazil criticizes media coverage on Amazon deforestation Deforestation Figures for Brazil Year Deforestation [sq mi] Deforestation [sq km] 1978-1988* 8158 21,130 1990 5,332 13,810 1991 4,297 11,130 1992 5,322 13,786 1993 5,950 15,410 1994 5,751 14,896 1995 11,219 29,059 1996 7,013 18,160 1997 5,034 13,040 1998 6,501 16,840 1999 6,663 17,259 2000 7,658 19,836 2001 7,027 18,130 2002 9,845 25,500 2003 9,343 24,130 All figures derived from official National Institute of Space Research (INPA) figures *For the 1978-1988 period the figures represent the average annual rates of deforestation. Brazil Designates 4 New Rainforest Parks Brazil to protect more rainforest land Friday, June 4, 2004 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BRASILIA, Brazil -- Brazil's president designated four new national forests to protect more than a million acres of rainforest, the government said Friday. In a decree, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva named two sites in the coastal states of Paraiba and Parana and two in the Amazon states of Amapa and Maranhao. Brazilian national forests are protected areas that can be used for ecotourism, scientific research and sustainable use projects. Logging, cattle ranching and farming have already claimed about 20 percent of two million square miles that is legally considered Amazon rainforest in Brazil. About 7 percent, or 153 million acres, of Brazil's national territory is currently protected in national parks, forests and sustainable development reserves. Deforestation in the Amazon 2004 Saving the Amazon Rainforest Soybeans in the Amazon The Impact of Growing Demand for Beef on the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil Brazil criticizes media coverage on Amazon deforestation WWF Helps Set Up Amazon Trust Fund; Goal is Protection of Area Bigger than US Parks System Over Next 10 Years For Release: 06/03/2004 For media inquiries, contact: Michael Ross michael.ross@ wwfus.org 202-778-9565 BRASILIA, Brazil -- World Wildlife Fund announced the creation Thursday of a permanent, multi-million dollar endowment to fund conservation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon in partnership with the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility and the government of Brazil. In a ceremony at the presidential palace in Brasilia, WWF officials presented President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva with a check for $500,000 in seed money for the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) trust fund. The GEF contributed a matching $500,000 grant for the fund's initial capitalization. The funds are in addition to some $80 million already raised by WWF and its partners to finance a 10-year plan to create a network of protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon one and a half times larger than the entire U.S. National Parks system. "With the establishment of the ARPA trust fund, we have reached an important milestone in our efforts to reverse the tide of deforestation and secure permanent protection for the Amazon," said Guillermo Castilleja, WWF vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean. "While we still have a long way to go, ARPA is no longer a dream. It's a reality in the making." When fully capitalized at $240 million, the ARPA trust fund will be used to maintain and ensure continued protection of a 190,000 square-mile network of national parks and sustainable use reserves spanning an area larger than the state of California. Similar to successful trusts that WWF has set up around the world, in places like Bhutan, Mexico and the Philippines, the endowment fund will "help guarantee that the parks are protected in fact, not just in name," added Matt Perl, WWF director for Amazon protected areas. Brazilian environmentalist Paulo Nogueira-Neto, a member of the board of WWF-Brazil, presented the WWF check to President Lula at a ceremony in the Planalto presidential palace. Other participants included Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva and Dr. Rosa Lemos de Sa, conservation director of WWF-Brazil. One of the largest and most ambitious conservation projects ever undertaken, ARPA is a partnership between the Brazilian government, the World Bank, the GEF, World Wildlife Fund, the German Development Bank and the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund. More than 20,000 square miles of new protected areas have already been established under ARPA, including the 15,000 square-mile Tumucumaque Mountains National Park. Other areas have been mapped and are undergoing scientific evaluation for inclusion in the ARPA network. Editors' Note: ARPA was conceived and implemented with support from the World Bank/WWF Alliance for Forest Conservation & Sustainable Use. For more information on the Alliance, visit the Forest Alliance Web site. http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/displayPR.cfm?prID=119 Copyright 2004, The Associated Press and the World Wildlife Fund CONTENT COPYRIGHT The Associated Press. THIS CONTENT IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.