THE WOUNDED
FOREST
Brazil's Mata Atlântica
In 2000, with great fanfare, Brazil
celebrated its 500
th
anniversary. Amidst the official
festivities, the colonial legacy that began
the widescale destruction of the Atlantic
Forest went virtually without mention. An
area of forest large enough to encompass
Spain, France and Great Britain - around 15
percent of Brazilian territory - has now
been reduced by over 92 percent. The
wholesale decimation of over one million
square kilometres of this forest has
spurred Conservation International to place
Brazil's Atlantic Forest in the top five of
earth’s most endangered "hotspots".
Originally stretching from the northeast
to the south of Brazil, the forest became
known as the Mata Atlântica
due to
its proximity to the coastline and its
interaction with the warm South Atlantic
air masses. In the 16th century, Portuguese
colonists began to export pau brasil
(
Caelalpinia echinata
),
the Brazilian redwood from which a dye
highly favoured by the European aristocracy
was extracted. As accessible redwood became
harder to find, sugarcane cultivation in
the northeast took over as the chief
contributer to deforestation. Subsequent
coca, coffee, banana and tea plantations,
as well as the growth of cities including
Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, all
contributed to sharply diminishing forested
areas.
The Atlantic Forest is considered to be
one of the most biologically diverse
ecosystems on earth, with an exceptionally
complex range of plants and animals. In
comparison with the Amazonian forests,
those of the Atlantic have proportionally
far more biological diversity. Two hundred
and fifteen mammal species are catalogued
in the Atlantic Forest, in comparison with
353 in the Amazon despite it being almost
four times the original area of the former.
The Atlantic Forest is also the root of
many rivers that feed various Brazilian
metropolises, benefitting over 100 million
people.
Despite this diversity and practical
significance, pressure on the forest is
mounting. Of the 202 species officially
cited as under threat of extinction in
Brazil, 171 are endemic to the Atlantic
Forest. Due to the economic activity and
urban growth taking place around remaining
areas, the number of threatened species is
on the increase. A recent study published
in Nature magazine pointed out that at
least 88 bird species endemic to the
Atlantic Forest are threatened. Scientists
believe that four species are already
extinct and at least 60 others face
extinction in the short term.
In an attempt to protect the Atlantic
Forest, a group of Brazilian NGOs created
the Atlantic Forest Network (RMA). There
are currently 190 participating
international and Brazilian groups,
including Friends of the Earth Brazil. The
network has scored some victories in
securing protection for the Atlantic
Forest, including its definition and
recognition in the pilot legislation
programme for the protection of Brazilian
tropical forests. NGOs believe that
although the case of the Atlantic forest is
critical, there are comparative advantages
to campaigning in the Rio Grande region in
relation to other threatened areas. These
include growing societal awareness of the
necessity to reverse the process of forest
degradation, and the involvement of civil
society in the majority of states involved
in the programme.
FoE Brazil has worked to protect the
Atlantic Forest for many years; our first
programmes were started in 1978, before we
became a member of the FoEI network. In the
last ten years, we have amplified the scope
of our activities, laying the groundwork
for protected forest areas, and
participating in the formulation and
reformulation of specific laws and
policies. In conjunction with the RMA, we
have implemented the Biosphere Atlantic
Forest Reserve Programme in Brazil,
particularly in the area of Rio Grande do
Sul.
The plight of the Atlantic Forest now
has as a powerful backdrop the recent
political indecision at the COP-6 Climate
Summit, which has demonstrated the urgent
need for legislative coherence on a global
scale. In relation to the Atlantic Forest,
political apathy has been manifested by
needless destruction. The challenge now
remains to create a transparent and
participatory forum for the protection of
this unique ecosystem. To deny this
opportunity would be to leave the forest to
its fate, consigning it to the history
books detailing the pointless demise of
countless other ecosystems, species and
lost opportunities.
Adam Wakeling, FoE Brazil
