Brazil seizes cattle to stem Amazon destruction

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Brazil seizes cattle to stem Amazon destruction
Tue 24 Jun 2008, 16:58 GMT

By Raymond Colitt

BRASILIA, June 24 (Reuters) - Brazil seized thousands of head of cattle in the Amazon as part of a crackdown on illegal farming and logging, which fuels destruction of the world's largest rain forest, the environment minister said on Tuesday.

The announcement follows growing international concern over rising deforestation rates and the resignation last month of the former minister Marina Silva, who was widely seen as a guardian of the Amazon.

Brazil's powerful farmers, who are riding a global commodity boom, are likely to contest increased controls.

Police and agents from the environmental protection agency IBAMA impounded about 10,000 head of cattle on illegally deforested land in the state of Rondonia. Last week they expropriated a 3,500-strong herd in the state of Para, the new Environment Minister Carlos Minc told a news conference.


Read more: http://africa.reuters.com/commodities/news/usnN24363938.html

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Thought this might be of interest to the DU'ers who were concerned when the previous Environement Minister, Marina Silva, left mid-May.



Marina Silva, Marina Silva and Carlos Minc , Carlos Minc

[cliss]

1. Good.

They need to get those damn cows out of there.

Leave the tropical rain forests alone. I believe there's plenty of grassland down in Argentina in the Pampas. They can graze there.:smoke:

[Arctic Dave]

2. Brazil warned them they would not allow them to keep

eating into the rain forest. I guess they finally got tired of the ranchers thumbing their nose at them. Good.

[jaksavage]

3. A start.

Hope they keep it up.