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☆ 20 decomposed bodies found in boat off coast of Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Anneclaire Stapleton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —At least 20 severely decomposed bodies have been found in a boat off the coast of northeastern Brazil, officials say. The boat was found on the coast of Bragança, northeast of Pará, on April 13, the Brazilian Federal Public Ministry announced Sunday. Officials said at least 20 bodies had been found in the boat, but due to the decomposition of the remains it’s unknown how many died on the boat. The deceased are not thought to be from Brazil but possibly from the Caribbean, investigators told CNN Brasil. Police deploy at Vila do Castelo port in Braganca, Brazil, on April 14, after fishermen reported spotting a boat laden with decomposing corpses off the coast of Para state on Saturday.

Persons: Raimundo Pacco Organizations: CNN, Brazilian Federal Public Ministry, CNN Brasil, Local, Police Locations: Brazil, Bragança, Pará, Caribbean, Vila, Castelo, Braganca, Para

An agent of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) inspects a tree extracted from the Amazon rainforest, in a sawmill during an operation to combat deforestation, in Placas, Para State, Brazil January 20, 2023. "Our current knowledge of the functioning of the Congo Basin ecosystem is really very, very limited." The Democratic Republic of the Congo, home to most of the forest, had the second highest rate of tree cover loss in the world last year after Brazil, according to Global Forest Watch. The scientific effort is modelled on the Science Panel for the Amazon that in 2021 issued a roughly 1,300 page report summarising the scientific consensus on the Amazon rainforest, the world's largest. More than 300 scientists are expected to contribute to the Congo report, Tshimanga said.

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Raphaël Tshimanga, Tshimanga, Jake Spring, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Brazilian Institute for, Environment, Natural Resources, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, United, Sunday, United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions, University of Kinshasa, Democratic, Global Forest Watch, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Placas, Para State, Brazil, United Nations, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

☆ Brazilian state launches mandatory tracking of cattle to stop deforestation
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A herd of cattle is seen at the Marupiara ranch in the city of Tailandia in the state of Para, Brazil March 17, 2020. The state government established the program in a decree published on Monday and sets the target of individual tracking of all 24 million cattle in Para by December 2026. Cattle ranching in Brazil is linked to nearly 24% of global annual tropical deforestation and approximately 10% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, the conservancy said. Para has Brazil's second biggest cattle herd behind the west-central state of Mato Grosso, according to government data. "The absence of full traceability in Para undermined their ability to attract legitimate investment into this sector."

Persons: Pilar Olivares, Helder Barbalho, Jack Hurd, Ana Mano, Jake Spring, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Nature Conservancy, conservancy, Para, Integrity, Tropical, Alliance, Thomson Locations: Tailandia, Para, Brazil, Mato Grosso, France, Spain, Norway, COP28

A general view shows the water conditions in the Piraiba river before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 5, 2023. The Amazon jungle is the world's largest rainforest and its protection is seen as vital to curbing climate change. "It's an impressive result and seals Brazil's return to the climate agenda," said Marcio Astrini, head of advocacy group Climate Observatory. Under the right-wing former president, destruction at the hands of ranchers, land speculators and miners surged to a 15 year high. The official annual period is measured from August to July as there is less cloud cover in the middle of the year to obscure deforestation on satellite images.

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro, Marcio Astrini, Lula, Peter Frontini, Jake Spring, Kylie Madry, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil

☆ Home countries of major rainforests agree to work together to save them
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Ange Adihe Kasongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The countries recognised the importance of cooperation and agreed to develop ways to protect the forests in a seven-point plan. Deforestation increased 4% worldwide in 2022, according to an October report showing countries went further off track from pledges made at the 2021 U.N. climate talks to halt and reverse loss and degradation by 2030. Over the three days of the summit in Brazzaville, experts and policymakers from countries with tropical forests discussed shared priorities ahead of the U.N. COP28 climate talks next month. They examined different funding mechanisms to help developing countries preserve their important ecosystems. Additional reporting by Alessandra Prentice; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Edward McAllisterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, We've, we've, Arlette Soudan, Alessandra Prentice, Anait Miridzhanian, Edward McAllister Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Wildlife Fund, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, BRAZZAVILLE, Congo Republic, Congo, Southeast Asia, Republic of Congo, Brazzaville

Energy ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, the three largest members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), have gathered in the Saudi capital Riyadh for the U.N. MENA climate week. The UAE will host the COP28 climate summit scheduled to take place in Dubai between Nov. 30 and Dec. 12. He has argued for a more inclusive COP that brings the oil and gas industry into the climate debate and allows it to be part of the solution through decarbonisation initiatives. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman also said the industry should not be stigmatised and the world still needed hydrocarbons. "There is a case for us to be in oil and gas," he told the audience.

Persons: Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ueslei Marcelino, Jaber, Suhail, Mazrouei, Sultan al, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Pesha Majid, Maha El, Toby Chopra, Barbara Lewis Organizations: UAE Industry, Amazon, REUTERS, UAE, Energy, United Arab, Organization of Petroleum Exporting, UAE Energy, Saudi Energy, Thomson Locations: Hangar, Belem , Para State, Brazil, RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Saudi, Riyadh, UAE, Dubai, OPEC, COP28

☆ Adaptation must be "front and centre" of climate agenda, UAE's COP28 president-designate says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsRIYADH, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The president designate of COP28, to be held in the United Arab Emirates later this year, Sultan Al Jaber, said on Sunday that adaptation must be "front and centre" of the climate agenda. Adaptation means investing in ways to adapt to climate change like early warning systems, food systems and crop yields. The COP28 summit is scheduled to take place in Dubai between Nov. 30 and Dec. 12. Jaber was a controversial pick to lead the summit because his country is an OPEC member and a major oil exporter. He has argued for a more inclusive COP that brings the oil and gas industry into the climate debate.

Persons: Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ueslei Marcelino, Sultan Al Jaber, Jaber, ” Jaber, Maha El Dahan, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Rachna Uppal, Toby Chopra Organizations: UAE Industry, Amazon, REUTERS, Rights, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Hangar, Belem , Para State, Brazil, Rights RIYADH, United Arab Emirates, Derna, MENA, Saudi, Riyadh, Dubai, OPEC

☆ Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls 57% in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Amazon Fund II LP FollowSAO PAULO, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest fell 56.8% in September compared to a year earlier, government data showed on Friday, while the region is struggling with a historic drought. In September, Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva announced at the United Nations Summit in New York more ambitious climate targets for the country. Deforestation and fires usually spike in the Amazon in August and September, when the weather turns drier. Fires in the region last month fell 36%, improving from the worst September in more than a decade in 2022. Last month, Switzerland and the United States donated $8.4 million to Brazil's Amazon Fund to help preserve the world's largest tropical rainforest.

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Jair, Marina Silva, Peter Frontini, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon Fund, SAO PAULO, Brazil's, United Nations Summit, Thomson Locations: Seca, Uruara, Para State, Brazil, New York, Switzerland, United States

Production of the chocolate-making ingredient is expanding outside of the main growing area in West Africa as farmers in places such Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia see potential profit in the crop. The rally in prices to the highest level in nearly 50 years is boosting that trend, which could alleviate the current supply tightness in the global cocoa market. The country was once the second only to Ivory Coast in cocoa production, but a devastating fungus in the 1980's known as Witches' Broom sharply reduced production. "I believe that the new profile of cocoa production will be large-scale," said Moises Schmidt, one of the owners. "If you plant cocoa trees there (Amazon region), it is considered reforestation," said Douglas.

Persons: Schmidt Agricola, Moises Almeida Schmidt, Handout, Moises Schmidt, Jeroen Douglas, Douglas, Jose Garcia, IFAD's, Alvaro Lario, Marcelo Teixeira, Maytaal Angel, Simon Webb, Anna Driver Organizations: REUTERS, International Cocoa Organization, Reuters Graphics, Ivory, UN's, Fund for Agricultural Development, Thomson Locations: Bahia, Brazil, West Africa, Ecuador, Colombia, Africa, South America, Ivory, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Asia, United States, Europe, Guayaquil, Para, Netherlands, Medicilandia, New York, London

BERLIN, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The Earth's life-support systems are facing greater risks and uncertainties than ever before, with most major safety limits already crossed as a result of planet-wide human interventions, according to a scientific study released on Wednesday. The authors said crossing the boundaries did not represent a tipping point where human civilisation would just crash, but could bring irreversible shifts in the Earth's support systems. "We can think of Earth as a human body, and the planetary boundaries as blood pressure. Over 120/80 does not indicate a certain heart attack but it does raise the risk," Richardson said. "It is a complete failure ...and it's a large risk... We're still following a pathway that takes us unequivocally to disaster."

Persons: Katherine Richardson, Richardson, Ueslei Marcelino, We're, Johan Rockström, I've, Rockström, Riham, David Stanway, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: University of Copenhagen, REUTERS, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact, United Nations Global, Thomson Locations: Seca, Uruara, Para State, Brazil, Dubai

☆ Brazil clears bottlenecks to oust US as top corn exporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"We celebrated a lot... when (corn export) volumes via northern ports equaled Santos," said Sergio Mendes, head of Brazilian grain exporter group Anec. "By using northern ports... you are saving 20 reais ($4.12) per ton (of corn)." Treemap with data from Cargonave show the percentage share of corn exports of Brazil ports in north and south part of the country. CHEAPER ROUTE TO CHINAThe new export capacity has helped grains shipped from Brazil's northern ports to compete on logistics costs with U.S. farmers. "The greater share of shipments through northern ports reflects cheaper freight costs compared to routes to the ports in the south and southeast," said Thome Guth, a Conab official.

Persons: Adriano Machado, Sergio Mendes, Louis Dreyfus, Brazil's, Thiago Pera, Santos, ", Thome Guth, Ana Mano, Brad Haynes, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, China, U.S, Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, TCU, Shipping, U.S . Department of Agriculture, COFCO, Santos, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, Santos, Ukraine, China, U.S, Northern, Madeira, Santarem, Barcarena, Itaqui, Canada, Argentina, Mato Grosso, CHINA, Iowa, Shanghai, Itacoatiara, Chicago, Para, Norte Sul, Tocantins, Goias, Minas Gerais, Mato

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been advocating for a common regional policy to end deforestation by 2030, promising his country will reach zero deforestation. However, the failure to agree on a common policy to end deforestation in the Amazon is concerning, as the fate of the rainforest is critical to the health of the planet. It is home to a unique array of animal and plant life, and is crucial to maintaining a global climate balance because it stores a huge amount of carbon and strongly influences global weather patterns. According to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil, Guyana, Suriname and Bolivia left the meeting refusing to agree on a goal. On Monday, Colombia backed an indigenous-led global pact to protect 80% of the Amazon by 2025.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula da Silva’s, Jair Bolsonaro, haven’t, ” Lula da Silva, Evaristo Sa, Susana Muhamad Organizations: CNN, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Brazilian Amazon, Peoples of, Getty, Amazon Alliance, CNN Brasil, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, Colombian Locations: Brazil, Brazilian, Belém, Para State, AFP, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Amazonia

[1/2] A general view shows the water conditions of the Piraiba river before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 5, 2023. Leaders are expected to announce the final agreement, known as the Belem Declaration, late on Tuesday afternoon. Presidents from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela will attend, while Ecuador and Suriname will send other representatives. ACTO Executive Director Carlos Lazary said the final agreement may include Brazil's plans for a regional center in Manaus where Amazon countries can coordinate police operations. Norway and Germany, which have funded Amazon preservation, and France, which controls the Amazon territory of French Guiana, will also participate.

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Carlos Lazary, Jake Spring, Brad Haynes, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, CNN Brasil, European Union, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Ueslei Marcelino BELEM, Brazilian, Belem, Belem Declaration, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Suriname, policymaking, Manaus, Congo, DRC, Indonesia, Norway, Germany, France, French Guiana

[1/3] A general view shows the water conditions of the Piraiba river before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei MarcelinoSAO PAULO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Eight Amazon rainforest nations are expected to face divisions over proposals to block new oil drilling and end deforestation when they meet on Tuesday for their first summit in 14 years. But at a pre-summit meeting last month, Colombian President Gustavo Petro pushed his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to block all new oil development in the Amazon. Brazil is weighing whether to develop a potentially huge offshore oil find near the mouth of the Amazon River. "Are we going to let hydrocarbons be explored in the Amazon rainforest?

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Gustavo Petro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Petro, Lula, Jake Spring, Oliver Griffin, Lucinda Elliott, Brad Haynes, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Ueslei Marcelino SAO PAULO, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Brazilian, Miami Herald, Global Forest Watch, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Belem, Amazon, Lula's, Leticia, Bolivian, Bogota, Montevideo

Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sonia Guajajara said more Indigenous people felt comfortable identifying themselves as such. Tebet told reporters the new population numbers will allow for improved budget funding for policies to help Indigenous communities, in education but mainly in health services and basic sanitation to make up for government neglect. Half of Brazil's Indigenous communities live in the Amazon region, some 867,900, with the highest urban concentration in the city of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state. But the main reason for the exponential growth in numbers, besides higher fertility rates among Indigenous communities, is the rise in visibility of Brazil's Indigenous movement, he said. "When you have strong Indigenous leaders bringing positive connotations to being Indigenous, this encourages people to begin identifying themselves," Barros said by telephone.

Persons: Vanderlecia Ortega dos Santos, Vanda, Ueslei Marcelino BRASILIA, Sonia Guajajara, Guajajara, Simone Tebet, Tebet, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Jair Bolsonaro, Lula, Leonardo Barros, Barros, Anthony Boadle, Aurora Ellis, Jamie Freed Organizations: Brazilian Institute of Geography, Teatro, REUTERS, Ueslei, IBGE, Government, Indigenous, Federal University of Viçosa, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Belem, Portugal, Venezuela, Manaus, Amazonas, Minas Gerais

[1/5] Brazil's indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire poses for a photo during an interview before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations at the Igarape Park, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 5, 2023. "I will ask the presidents to commit to guaranteeing the preservation of the forest," he told Reuters. Raoni, an unmistakable figure with his large lip plate and yellow feather headdress, is a chief of the Kayapo people, an Indigenous group that lives along the Xingu River where savannah plains meet the Amazon rainforest. "The deforestation of the Amazon's forests is not good for us Indigenous peoples, and white man needs to rethink and preserve what remains of the Amazon," he warned. Reporting by Leonardo Benassatto and Ueslei Marcelino; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Raoni Metuktire, Ueslei Marcelino, Raoni, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Sting, Leonardo Benassatto, Anthony Boadle, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Reuters, Brazilian Congress, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Ueslei Marcelino BELEM, Belem, U.S, France

☆ Amazon nations to set up rainforest science panel, Brazilian minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] A woman passes in front of a graffiti before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations at the Igarape Park, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei MarcelinoBRASILIA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Amazon countries meeting next week for a summit on cooperation to save the rainforest aim to set up a scientific body like the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to share research, Brazil's environment minister told Reuters. The panel would help produce sustainable development policies for the countries of the region while remaining independent of governments, and monitor the impact of climate change on the Amazon rainforest and ecosystem, she said. Lula has overhauled Brazil's environment policies since taking office in January, succeeding far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who relaxed protection the environment and encouraged development of the Amazon, where deforestation soared. Preliminary government figures showed on Thursday that deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell in July to its lowest level since 2017, boosting Lula's credibility on environmental policy ahead of the summit.

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino BRASILIA, Marina Silva, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Jair Bolsonaro, Lisandra Paraguassu, Anthony Boadle, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Reuters, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Belem

Nearly 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) of rainforest were cleared in July, a significant fall from the 1,487 square kilometers (574 square miles) cleared last July. There has been a sharp decline in deforestation since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as president in January. Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, said government policies, including increasing surveillance and fining perpetrators, has played a big role in bringing rates of deforestation down. The reduced rate of deforestation is positive news at a time when the Amazon remains critically vulnerable. In 2022 an area of global tropical forest the size of Switzerland was lost as forest destruction rose by 10% compared to the previous year, according to a recent report from the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Jair, Marina Silva, ” Silva, Moraes Almeida, Nelson Almedia Organizations: CNN, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, Getty, Resources, Watch Locations: Brazilian, Para, Brazil, AFP, Belem, Switzerland

SAO PAULO, July 6 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell 34% in the first half of 2023, preliminary government data showed on Thursday, hitting its lowest level in four years as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva institutes tougher environmental policies. But that's an area more than three times the size of New York City, underscoring the challenge Lula faces to eliminate deforestation entirely. "It's very positive, but we continue to have very high levels of deforestation," said Daniel Silva, an analyst at nonprofit WWF-Brasil. An aerial view shows a deforested area during an operation to combat deforestation near Uruara, Para State, Brazil January 21, 2023. In June alone, Inpe satellite data showed deforestation totaled 663 sq km, down 41% from the same month a year ago.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Inpe, Lula, Daniel Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Ueslei Marcelino, Marina Silva, Silva, Joao Paulo Capobianco, Carolina Pulice, Jake Spring, Gabriel Araujo, Sandra Maler Organizations: SAO PAULO, WWF, Brasil, REUTERS, Environment Ministry, Thomson Locations: New York City, Uruara, Para State, Brazil

An internal Union Investment document seen by Reuters shows that the firm received just 30 responses to its outreach. Although consumer goods manufacturers are particularly exposed, other sectors that import goods associated with deforestation, including commodities houses and industrials companies, will also face scrutiny. Consumer goods makers are counting on technology such as satellites and artificial intelligence to help eradicate deforestation from their supply chains. Several large consumer goods companies say they are close to meeting their ambitious zero-deforestation goals. "The EU rules make deforestation a financial risk as well as an environmental risk."

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Henrik Pontzen, Pontzen, Janus Henderson, Jonathan Toub, haven't, Snorre Gjerde, Christophe Hansen, Magdi Batato, Kit Kat, Nestlé, David Croft, Reckitt's, Arild Skedsmo, Richa Naidu, Kate Abnett, Matt Scuffham, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, EU, Germany's, Investment, Unilever, ESG, Union Investment, Nestle, Pepsico, Danone, L'Oreal, KLP, Aviva, Fidelity International, Reckitt, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Consumer, Thomson Locations: Uruara, Para State, Brazil, NBIM, Nescafe, London, Brussels

☆ Replanting the Amazon could slow global warming. Here’s why it’s hard
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +24 min

Milton da Costa Junior nosed his pickup through a remote stretch of the western Brazilian Amazon to check on his babies. Local authorities said the September 2021 incident, which Da Costa outlined in a police report that was reviewed by Reuters, is being investigated. Out of dozens of reforestation initiatives in the country, Rioterra and The Black Jaguar Foundation, a Brazilian-European group, are among the largest. Illegal invaders destroy in hours what it takes Rioterra or Black Jaguar a year to plant. In all, Black Jaguar has signed contracts with 26 farms and planted 326 hectares (806 acres) to date.

Persons: Milton da Costa, Da Costa, Carlos Nobre, Alexis Bastos, Rioterra, ”, Nobre, “, Bastos, Jamari, Dejesus Aparecido Ramos, it’s, ” Bastos, Jair Bolsonaro, Germany –, Bolsonaro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Black, Ben Valks, Valks, Leandro Silveira, Silveira, São, ” Valks, aren’t, Cristina Banks, Leite, Marcos Mariani, Araguaia, Mariani, Tânia Irres, ” Irres, Regina Molke, I’ll, Clovis, Black Jaguar, Aquaverde, Renato Franklin, “ Ben, ” Franklin, L’Oreal, da Costa, ” Da Costa, da, Spring, Clare Trainor, Catherine Tai, Lais Morais, Ilan Rubens, Lucy Ha, John Emerson, Marla Dickerson Organizations: Milton da Costa Junior, Toyota, Reuters, Black Jaguar Foundation, National Institute for Space Research, Rioterra, Cultural, Environmental Studies, Petrobras, “, Amazon Fund, Environment Ministry, United, United Arab Emirates, São Paulo, Global, Farmers, Brazil’s Central Bank, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, Imperial College London, Santana, Bolsonaro, United Nations, Space Agency, Copernicus, Sentinel Locations: Machadinho, Rondônia, Brazil, Germany, Brazilian, European, Manhattan, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Bastos, Porto Velho, droves, Rio, Black, Itapuã, Oeste, Norway, United Arab, Pará, Caixa, “, Costa, Syria, Paris, Santana, Araguaia’s, Clovis, Regina, United States, South, Geneva, Rio Preto, da Costa

SAO PAULO, March 2 (Reuters) - A confirmed case of mad cow disease in Brazil discovered last month is "atypical," the agriculture ministry said on Thursday, adding it will work to lift beef export suspensions swiftly enacted by several countries in Asia. In a statement, the agriculture ministry pointed to an analysis conducted by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) that confirmed the unusual case of mad cow disease. The case of mad cow disease, known scientifically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was found in a nine-year old bull from northern Para state. Earlier on Thursday, three additional Asian markets - Thailand, Iran and Jordan - slapped temporarily bans on beef imported from anywhere in Brazil. Officials explained that atypical cases of mad cow disease can occur spontaneously in cattle populations and such infections do not depend on ingestion of feed contaminated by abnormal pathogens known as prions.

☆ Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls in first month under Lula
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ueslei MarcelinoSAO PAULO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest fell in January from a year earlier, satellite data showed on Friday, in the first monthly figures under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In mid-January, Brazilian environmental agents launched their first anti-logging raids under Lula, who has pledged to end surging destruction under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. The fresh figures come after Reuters reported exclusively on Thursday that the United States was considering its first contribution to a multilateral fund aimed at fighting Amazon deforestation, with a possible announcement during President Joe Biden's meeting with Lula at the White House on Friday. The Brazilian-administered Amazon Fund, supported mainly by Norway and Germany, was reactivated by Environment Minister Marina Silva the day she took office last month, after being frozen since 2019 under Bolsonaro. The Brazilian government is also fighting wildcat mining on Yanomami land in the Amazon, its largest indigenous reservation, amid a humanitarian crisis blamed on illegal gold miners.

The sharp contrast with Bolsonaro, who criticized environmental agents, was a relief to some scientists concerned that the retreating Amazon rainforest may be near a point of no return. Ibama's staffing and resources expanded in Lula's 2003-2010 presidency, when he managed to reduce Amazon deforestation by 72%. Rodrigo Agostinho, whom Lula tapped to run Ibama, told Reuters in an interview that the agency now has about 350 active field agents for all of Brazil. That is less than half what it had at the start of Bolsonaro's term and well below the 2,000 field agents at the peak of its powers, he added. Sidelining Ibama, Bolsonaro deployed the military to protect the Amazon, but their inexperience in conservation failed to lower deforestation while running up a massive bill.

Reuters exclusively accompanied raids led by environmental agency Ibama in the rainforest state of Para to stop loggers and ranchers illegally clearing the forest. The agency has also launched raids this week in the states of Roraima and Acre, Ibama environmental enforcement coordinator Tatiane Leite said. Lula on the campaign trail last year pledged to put Ibama back in charge of combating deforestation with beefed-up funding and personnel. But Ibama agents told Reuters that they already felt more empowered by Lula announcing environmental protection as a top priority. His government instituted a gag order forbidding Ibama agents from speaking to the press, which agents say has already been reversed under Lula.

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