BRAZIL

Brazil Forest Figures

Forest Cover
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Total forest area: 477,698,000 ha
% of land area: 57.2%

Primary forest cover: 415,890,000 ha
% of land area: 49.8%
% total forest area: 87.1%

Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005
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Annual change in forest cover: -3,103,000 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -0.6%
Change in defor. rate since '90s: 22.0%
Total forest loss since 1990: -42,329,000 ha
Total forest loss since 1990:-8.1%

Primary or "Old-growth" forests
Annual loss of primary forests: -3466000 ha
Annual deforestation rate: -0.8%
Change in deforestation rate since '90s: 35.0%
Primary forest loss since 1990: -17,330,000 ha
Primary forest loss since 1990:-9.7%

Forest Classification
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Public: n/a
Private: n/a
Other: n/a
Use
Production: 5.5%
Protection: 17.8%
Conservation: 8.1%
Social services: 23.8%
Multiple purpose: 44.8%
None or unknown: n/a

Forest Area Breakdown
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Total area: 477,698,000 ha
Primary: 415,890,000 ha
Modified natural: 56,424,000 ha
Semi-natural: n/a
Production plantation: 5,384,000 ha
Production plantation: n/a

Plantations
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Plantations, 2005: 5,384,000 ha
% of total forest cover: 1.1%
Annual change rate (00-05): 21,000,000 ha

Carbon storage
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Above-ground biomass: 79,219 M t
Below-ground biomass: 22,017 M t

Area annually affected by
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Fire: 68,000 ha
Insects: 30,000 ha
Diseases: 20,000 ha

Number of tree species in IUCN red list
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Number of native tree species: 7,880
Critically endangered: 34
Endangered: 100
Vulnerable: 187

Wood removal 2005
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Industrial roundwood: 168,091,000 m3 o.b.
Wood fuel: 122,385,000 m3 o.b.

Value of forest products, 2005
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Industrial roundwood: $2,897,019,000
Wood fuel: $942,020,000
Non-wood forest products (NWFPs): $193,131,000
Total Value: $4,032,170,000


More forest statistics for Brazil


Brazil holds about one-third of the world's remaining rainforests, including a majority of the Amazon rainforest. It is also overwhelmingly the most biodiverse country on Earth, with more than 56,000 described species of plants, 1,700 species of birds, 695 amphibians, 578 mammals, and 651 reptiles.

Why is the Amazon Rainforest Disappearing?

In many tropical countries, the majority of deforestation results from the actions of poor subsistence cultivators. However, in Brazil only about one-third of recent deforestation can be linked to "shifted" cultivators. A large portion of deforestation in Brazil can be attributed to land clearing for pastureland by commercial and speculative interests, misguided government policies, inappropriate World Bank projects, and commercial exploitation of forest resources. For effective action it is imperative that these issues be addressed. Focusing solely on the promotion of sustainable use by local people would neglect the most important forces behind deforestation in Brazil.

The government of Brazil has unveiled a plan to slow deforestation of the Amazon rainforest by more than 70 percent between 2008 and 2018-a move that will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

The plan, announced December 1, 2008 by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Environment Minister Carlos Minc, is the first time Brazil has set specific goals to reduce or slow down deforestation due to farming, ranching and illegal logging in the largest expanse of tropical rainforest on Earth.

Deforestation Increases Global Warming, Destroys Medicinal Plants
Amazon deforestation releases an estimated 400 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year-whether from farmers and ranchers burning trees to clear more land or from rotting wood that is part of the natural forest cycle-making Brazil the world's sixth largest emitter of the greenhouse gas.