Costa Rica is doing it right:
I'm sure you get the reference to Brazil, but in case you haven't been paying attention (like most of the American media), there's this:
And from NYT:
Bolsonaro has rapidly gained a reputation as the Trump of the South, but more extreme. A lot of the international outrage stems from the supposition, not entirely unfounded, that the Brazilian government is encouraging the burn-off.
The Times does point out that most of the fires are on land that has previously been cleared. The problem there is that the rain forest hasn't had a chance to recover -- which it will do, given time. I've also seen speculation that Bolsonaro wants to capture the Chinese market for soybeans, etc. The problem is that the soil in a rain forest is thin, without much in the way of nutrients. A healthy rain forest has a lot of fungi among the tree roots, which serves to recycle nutrients quickly -- otherwise, the rain would just leach them out. So, clearing a section of rain forest for farming is a short-term endeavor -- the soil will give out in two or three years.
And to give you an idea of the scale of of this year's burn:
Sidebar: The Field Museum has an exhibition devoted to conservation, including a lengthy video on their efforts in the Amazon rain forest. The Field's researchers have focused mainly on the Andes-Amazon region in Peru, where they have had notable success in getting large sections officially protected. Somehow, I doubt they would receive a similar welcome in Brazil at this point.
This is how Costa Rica 🇨🇷 doubled the size of its rainforest in a generation. Bravo Costa Rica! You inspire then World
— Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim) August 25, 2019
pic.twitter.com/6SQLMkhLjk
I'm sure you get the reference to Brazil, but in case you haven't been paying attention (like most of the American media), there's this:
And from NYT:
The destruction of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil has increased rapidly since the nation’s new far-right president took over and his government scaled back efforts to fight illegal logging, ranching and mining.
While campaigning for president last year, Mr. Bolsonaro declared that Brazil’s vast protected lands were an obstacle to economic growth and promised to open them up to commercial exploitation.
Less than a year into his term, that is already happening.
Bolsonaro has rapidly gained a reputation as the Trump of the South, but more extreme. A lot of the international outrage stems from the supposition, not entirely unfounded, that the Brazilian government is encouraging the burn-off.
The Times does point out that most of the fires are on land that has previously been cleared. The problem there is that the rain forest hasn't had a chance to recover -- which it will do, given time. I've also seen speculation that Bolsonaro wants to capture the Chinese market for soybeans, etc. The problem is that the soil in a rain forest is thin, without much in the way of nutrients. A healthy rain forest has a lot of fungi among the tree roots, which serves to recycle nutrients quickly -- otherwise, the rain would just leach them out. So, clearing a section of rain forest for farming is a short-term endeavor -- the soil will give out in two or three years.
And to give you an idea of the scale of of this year's burn:
Sidebar: The Field Museum has an exhibition devoted to conservation, including a lengthy video on their efforts in the Amazon rain forest. The Field's researchers have focused mainly on the Andes-Amazon region in Peru, where they have had notable success in getting large sections officially protected. Somehow, I doubt they would receive a similar welcome in Brazil at this point.
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