A risky forest policy in the Amazon?

MERRY, Frank D. et al. A Risky Forest Policy in the Amazon? Science, v. 299, p. 1843, 21 mar. 2003. [Carta ao editor].

Introduction

IN THEIR POLICY FORUM “NATIONAL forests in the Amazon” (30 Aug., p. 1478), A.Veríssimo et al. seem assured that a new system of national forests will solve the problems of uncontrolled forest exploitation in the Brazilian Amazon. Unfortunately, we are farless optimistic. Attached to the laudable effort to develop an expanded network of national forests is an ill-advised plan to harvest timber on half of that land through a system of forest concessions. This plan apparently has been formulated without regard to the widespread problems of forest concessions in developing countries (1–5) and will provide the large scale forest industry with subsidized access to substantial remaining old-growth tropical forests of Amazônia.