Brazilian Govt. Says 20%+ Of Amazon Deforestation Happens In "Protected" Areas

[hatrack]

SAO PAULO (Brazil) - ONE tree out every five cut down in the Brazilian Amazon is being taken from government-protected areas where logging is illegal or heavily restricted, a study published on Sunday showed. About 22 per cent of the deforestation in the rain forest last year took place in Indian reserves or preservation areas, according to government statistics published by the O Globo newspaper.

The study was conducted by Brazil's environmental agency Ibama using satellite images, O Globo said. The report has yet to be officially released by the government.

'It shows that our reserves are not well protected,' Environment Minister Carlos Minc told O Globo. 'It's not enough to create an area on paper to guarantee the forest's preservation.' Officials at the environmental agency could not be reached on Sunday.

The study shows that the deforestation rate in preservation areas increased 6.4 per cent in 2007 from the previous year, while the pace of overall deforestation decreased by 20 per cent - a slowdown the government has celebrated.

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