|
Tim Vickery: Proposal to call in home-based Brazilians is lunacy
The Brazilian national team has gone three games without a goal and is currently in fifth place in South America's World Cup campaign -- outside the automatic qualification slots. The country's well-respected sports daily Lance! believes that the time has come to take a stand.
Dead Penguins Washing up in Brazil
More than 400 dead penguins, most of them young, have been washing up on Rio de Janeiro's tropical beaches
Baby Penguins Showing Up Dead in Brazil
Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on Rio de Janeiro's tropical beaches, rescuers and penguin experts said Friday
Gregory Sica: Flamengo tries to ditch label as perennial underachievers
"Underachievers" is a label many clubs get saddled with these days as they spend millions in fruitless attempts to chase trophies. But there aren't many clubs who deserve the tag more than Brazilian giants Flamengo.
Brazil Wants its Soccer Team Back
They may be perennial World Cup favorites, but the fact that Brazil's national soccer team is dominated by players based in Europe has created an identity crisis for the country's fans
Making contact: Indigenous tribes' fight to survive
Last month photographs of the discovery of one of the world's last "uncontacted" tribes on the Brazil/Peru border made front covers across the world, vividly illustrating a way of life that is mostly unknown and ignored in the industrialized world.
Tim Vickery: Brazil has no time to dwell on poor U.S. tour results
Before last Friday's meeting in Foxborough, Mass., Brazil's all-time record against Venezuela read as follows: 17 games, 17 wins, 78 goals scored and four conceded.
Leaders clash on biofuels at food summit
Leaders gathered at a summit on the world's food crisis quickly laid out their disagreements on a key issue: how much the rush for environmentally friendly biofuels is contributing to soaring prices that are causing hunger and unrest worldwide.
'Uncontacted tribe' sighted in Amazon
Researchers have produced aerial photos of jungle dwellers who they say are among the few remaining peoples on Earth who have had no contact with the outside world.
Behind the Scenes: Powering the planet
This was, to be honest, simply a different kind of journalism. I've never done anything quite like it.
Plane with 6 aboard missing off northeast Brazil
A small plane carrying four British businessmen and two Brazilian pilots has disappeared off the northeastern Brazil coast, officials said.
Brazil's Counterattack on Biofuels
As food prices soar, the world is looking askance at biofuels. Brazil's President Lula wants to change that
Developers, ranchers encroaching on many of world's forests
The Amazon rainforest is so vast and full of life that even its defenders don't know exactly what it is they are protecting.
Hedging their bets
By its very nature, jatropha is divisive. The poisonous, deep-rooted shrub is traditionally used as hedging to protect food crops from hungry animals.
Brazilian military joins battle against dengue epidemic
Soldiers and firefighters have joined the fight against dengue, a sometimes deadly mosquito-borne disease that has infected at least 55,000 people in Brazil this year.
Tim Vickery: Compared to Brazil, Argentine fan culture is top-notch
Some 15 years ago, an English club chairman -- I'll withhold his name because I'd hate to be remembered for the dumbest thing I ever said -- declared that the soccer fan was fooling himself if he believed that he was paying the players' wages.
Brazil dances with OPEC
OPEC, the 13-nation cartel that has a huge influence over oil prices, may be expanding farther into South America.
The Amazon Gets Less and Less Green
The demands of the global food and energy market may literally be eating away at the world's largest single natural absorber of carbon dioxide
Tim Vickery: Legendary Garrincha probably could've played today
This week marks 25 years since the sad, alcohol-sodden death of Garrincha, the bandy-legged genius rated as second only to Pelé in Brazil's pantheon. Over a period of eight years, while Garrincha and Pelé were both on the field, Brazil never lost a game.
Rare Albino Alligators Stolen in Brazil
Seven rare albino alligators disappeared from a Brazilian university zoo and authorities suspect animal smugglers stole them, officials said Friday
Tim Vickery: Premiership is helping Brazilians to be more Brazilian
I arrived in Brazil in 1994, just after the national team ended that long, 24-year wait for World Cup win No. 4. The style of that team had an enormous influence on the country's domestic soccer.
UN Rep Held Hostage in Brazil
Cinta Larga Indians have taken a U.N. representative and four other people hostage, officials said Monday
Children plan for planet's future
It's not easy to keep a group of 60 elementary school children seated, but when students from Canada and Burkina Faso gathered in a virtual classroom, they all sat, eyes eagerly glued to the computer screen as they listened to stories about the lives of their new peers.
Brazil investigates 15-year-old girl's jail horror story
The Brazilian government is investigating the case of a 15-year-old girl who allegedly was raped and tortured after being put in a prison cell with 20 male inmates, officials said.
Tim Vickery: Even in Cup loss, women move game ahead in Brazil
Last week, for the first time ever, a press conference given by the coach of Brazil's men's team was dominated by the progress of the women.
Mark Bechtel: What we learned in China
SHANGHAI, China -- A few final thoughts from the World Cup:
Mark Bechtel: U.S. readies for a physical semi showdown vs. Brazil
HANGZHOU, China -- If World B. Free had been a soccer player (and a South American woman), he would've fit right in the Brazilian national team. It doesn't really matter where they are on the field or what the situation is -- the Brazilians are going to shoot the ball. And there's a pretty good chance it's going in.
Tim Vickery: Brazil improving as South Africa '10 qualifying begins
Qualifying for the World Cup is no cakewalk, even for Brazil. Luiz Felipe Scolari's side struggled to make it to Japan and South Korea in 2002 -- indeed, without a couple of strokes being pulled, Brazil may well have missed out entirely on the competition it ended up winning.
Union chief: Poor tracks to blame in deadly Brazil rail crash
The president of Rio de Janeiro's train workers union said Friday that poorly maintained tracks and overworked engineers contributed to a collision between two commuter trains that killed eight people and injured 101.
Train crash in Brazil leaves 8 dead, dozens wounded, officials say
A speeding train carrying hundreds of commuters slammed into an empty train near Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, killing eight people and injuring more than 80, officials said.
Chris Mannix: Talented U.S. proves it won't let up
LAS VEGAS -- For a minute there, it looked like the mighty and powerful United States had become mortal.
Tim Vickery: Brazil, Argentina move on with eye on Cup qualifying
It was only just over a month ago that Argentina and Brazil squared off in Venezuela in the final of the Copa América. Brazil won 3-0, but soccer never stops.
Sugar cane ethanol's not-so-sweet future
Imagine a fuel that does not come from the Middle East, is about six times more economical to produce than corn ethanol and has the potential to help the environment because it requires few chemicals to grow.
Tim Vickery: Readers sound off on Brazil's tactics
"Brazil won. End of story!"
Tim Vickery: Brazil defends Copa title, but it isn't pretty
The standard explanation of soccer's global popularity is the fact that it's such a simple game. True, but it's also very complex.
Tim Vickery: Who can bust through Brazil-Argentina Copa duopoly?
The Copa Am�rica isn't strictly the Brazil and Argentina Show, though the intrigue surrounding South America's biggest powerhouses certainly suggests otherwise.
World trade talks break down
The future of World Trade Organization's Doha pact is under doubt, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said Thursday, as talks between the United States, European Union, India and Brazil broke down.
The seductive dance
The Carnival drums are reverberating in my ears. What better time to examine the importance of music and rhythm to soccer in Brazil?
Brazilian IPOs: Hot, hot, hot
Brazilian IPOs are on fire this year, but some analysts warn the market may be too hot to handle.
Brazil leading world in effort to boost use of ethanol
In an agroindustrial complex ringed by fields of 12-foot-high sugarcane, a giant mechanical claw dumps stalks by the tons into an even larger crushing machine. Here's where the renewable fuel used to power seven of every 10 new Brazilian cars gets its start.
Letters
Grassing Up . . .
Brazil readies for commercial carnival
Ahead of carnival time, Brazil is abuzz with an optimism that is also reflected in the country's buoyant economy, but can the world's sixth most populous country fulfill its potential as a safe destination for global investment?
HERE COME THE NEW FUELS
Zooming gas prices, plus the usual bad news from the Middle East, naturally raise the question: What else can we do? Quite a lot, actually. And if the price of oil sticks above $40 a barrel, the dy...
Brazil envoy: No shooting cover-up
Brazil's ambassador has said he believes there was no cover-up by British officials in the fatal police shooting of a Brazilian man mistaken for a terrorist on the London Tube.
BRAZIL
In Brazil, a little know-how or "jeito" goes a long way
Viva Brazil!
Growing up, Rich Zirinsky, the co-founder of Adventure Music (adventure-music.com), never played an instrument, but he was passionate about music. To date, he has collected 17,000 albums and 18,000...
Sources: Brazil blocks nuclear inspectors
(CNN) -- The Brazilian government and U.N. nuclear inspectors are at odds over inspections of an under-construction, uranium-enrichment facility near Rio de Janeiro, sources close to the International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday.
Brazil stocks sink on scandal
Stocks in Brazil fell another 4 percent in early trading Friday and the country's currency dropped past a five-month low as the markets continue to feel the fallout of an alleged political bribing scandal.
Investing in a Dangerous World It's scary going. But finding the right opportunities in emerging markets could
Investing in emerging markets in the 1990s required great fortitude--and a crate or two of Rolaids didn't hurt either. Betting that the small, emerging economies around the world would produce outs...
A Prayer for Brazil BANGKOK, SEOUL, MOSCOW...RIO?
The salvation of the world economy is a heavy burden to lay on a country beset by yawning government deficits, ghastly poverty, anemic economic growth, and a long history of hyperinflation and debt...
Brazil: Hanging by a Thread
Will Latin America be the next domino to fall in the great emerging market collapse? That's no idle question, because more than a fifth of U.S. exports, or some $70.8 billion, go to Latin America. ...
BRAGGING RIGHTS LATIN AMERICA TAMES PRICES
Three- or four-digit inflation used to run rampant in Latin America, but no more. Of the ten largest countries, Argentina had the lowest inflation in 1995. Fiscal policy is the real problem, says R...
NEW SIZZLE IN OVERSEAS STOCKS
Foreign stock markets are suddenly back. Bourses from Hong Kong to Brazil have already posted double-digit returns this year--even surpassing the scorching Dow--and beguiled U.S. investors are once...
ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE WHO'S READY FOR FREE TRADE?
The Readiness index is based on price and currency stability, budget discipline, external debt, political stability, market-oriented policies, and reliance on trade taxes. A 5 means "ready," a 0 "n...
OPEN ARMS IN RIO
Flying down to Rio will be twice as easy after April -- and possibly a lot less expensive than the current $1,600 round-trip coach fare from New York. American Airlines and Eastern Air Lines have b...
GOOD NEWS FOR BRAZIL, BAD NEWS AT THE SUPER
The consequences of the drought of 1988 begin with the pain of individuals; eventually the effects will spread around the globe. Still, this isn't the end of the world, even for most farmers. As a ...
BANK STOCKS AND THE BRAZIL FACTOR The latest news about Third World debt isn't good, but speculative investors may not care.
Almost five years after the first Mexican debt crisis, Wall Street bank analysts and Washington officials are beginning to say it openly: Those huge loans to Latin American countries will probably ...
COVER THE YEAR'S 50 MOST FASCINATING BUSINESS PEOPLE DILSON FUNARO BRAZIL'S WOULD-BE MIRACLE WORKER
FOR MOST of the year Brazil's finance minister was one of the most popular men in the country. Dilson Funaro, 53, put together economic reforms that tamed inflation, which had risen to a 500% annua...
BRAZIL'S DEMOCRATIC NEIGHBORS: FREE AND STRAPPED
Since 1979, when Ecuador's military dictatorship gave way to a democratic government, five other South American countries have shucked their generals and replaced them with elected civilian preside...
THE YEAR'S 50 MOST FASCINATING BUSINESS PEOPLE DILSON FUNARO BRAZIL'S WOULD-BE MIRACLE WORKER
FOR MOST of the year Brazil's finance minister was one of the most popular men in the country. Dilson Funaro, 53, put together economic reforms that tamed inflation, which had risen to a 500% annua...
Upcoming
May 28: International Monetary Fund staff members arrive in Brazil to negotiate a loan package with the new government. June 1: Telephone customers start getting billed $1 a month for local access ...
Brazil: News & Videos about Brazil - CNN.com
Find stories, videos, and photos about Brazil from CNN.com.
Trading in Soccer Talent
 Brazilian companies are engaging in a new and controversial wave of investment by buying up contracts of young soccer players and lending the players to teams.
Baby Penguins Washing Up Dead in Brazil
Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro State in the past two months.
Citigroup Posts $2.5 Billion Loss on Write-Downs
Citigroup’s chief executive positioned the loss, largely caused by $7.2 billion of loan write-downs, as progress.
Quietly, Brazil Eclipses an Ally
 President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has pulled away from Venezuela while nurturing a regional power.
Wanted: Skilled Workers for a Growing Economy in Brazil
 Many experts say the dearth of highly skilled labor, particularly engineers and tradesmen, will jeopardize Brazil’s economic and political rise.
Playing for Copa Title and Ecuadorean Pride
 The Copa Libertadores, the premier South American club championship, will be settled Wednesday night when Fluminense of Brazil hosts L.D.U. Quito of Ecuador.
Hoarding Nations Drive Food Costs Ever Higher
 After at least 29 countries sharply curbed their food exports, impoverished importing countries are finding it more difficult to afford the food they need.
A Terrible Bust Is Born
Yes, a bear market is upon us. But not everyone is suffering as the Dow dives.
In India, a New Detroit
Nissan Motor will build its first passenger vehicle factory in Oragadam, India, sprawling $1.1 billion complex where rice paddies once stood; plant, built jointly with French partner Renault, will turn out 400,000 cars each year when completed in two years; Japan's Big Three automakers--Toyota, Honda and Nissan--are plowing into exotic terrain, from Saharan Africa to former Soviet Union to plains of southern India; Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn says surging prices for raw materials will f...
Nissan and Others Add Factories in Emerging Markets
 In a radical shift, Japan’s staid Big Three automakers are plowing into exotic terrain, from Saharan Africa to the former Soviet Union to the scorching plains of southern India.
Brazil Seizes Livestock to Protect Rain Forest
 Officials seized cattle that they said were being raised on an ecological reserve, a warning to other ranchers raising cattle on illegally deforested land in Amazonia.
Brazil Arrests Police Officer in Crackdown on Militia
A police officer accused of leading a local militia that the police said had tortured four people, including two journalists, for more than six hours has turned himself in.
In Rio Slum, Armed Militia Replaces Drug Gang’s Criminality With Its Own
 The militias have filled a vacuum of authority by promising residents security in exchange for payments and the chance to take over a host of illegal businesses.
Chicago Stays in Running After Early Vote to Decide Host of 2016 Olympics
Chicago joined Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo in moving a step closer to hosting the games, setting up a final, fierce race to see which city will win out.
Energy Lessons
Countries do get rebranded. Energy is the new Brazilian brand.
NYT > Brazil
World news about Brazil, including breaking news and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Brazil to send more police into the Amazon to fight illegal logging
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed two decrees Tuesday to rein in illegal forest clearing in the Amazon, reports the Associated Press (AP).
Destruction of wetlands worsens global warming
Destruction of wetland ecosystems will generate massive greenhouse gas emissions in coming years, warn experts convening at an international wetlands conference in Brazil.
Amazon timber industry declares ban on illegal logging
The Brazilian state of Pará today announced a ban on the sales of illegally logged timber from the Amazon rainforests.
Amazon deforestation forecast for 2008 revised downward
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell sharply in the month of May (1,096 square kilometers) compared to May a year-ago (1,222 square kilometers), according to preliminary satellite data announced by the country's environment minister on Tuesday. Brazilian Environment Minister Carlos Minc said a preliminary analysis by the government's National Space Research Institute (INPE) showed 1,096 square kilometers (423 square miles) of rain forest were cut down in May, down from 1,123 square kilometers (434 square miles) in April.
Palm oil industry moves into the Amazon rainforest
Malaysia's Land Development Authority FELDA has announced plans to immediately establish 100,000 hectares (250,000) of oil palm plantations in the Brazilian Amazon. The agency will partner with Braspalma, a local company, to form Felda Global Ventures Brazil Sdn Bhd. FELDA will have a 70 percent stake in the venture. The announcement had been expected. Last month Najib said Malaysia would seek to expand its booming palm oil industry overseas. The country is facing land constraints at home.
Good news for reefs: giant coral structure found off Brazil
Amid a series of dire reports on the status of coral reefs, scientists announced the discovery of a reef off the southern coast of Brazil's Bahia state that doubles the size of the Southern Atlantic Ocean's largest and richest reef system, the Abrolhos Bank.
20% of Amazon timber illegally harvested from protected areas
20 percent of Amazon timber is illegally harvested from protected areas according to a report published in O'Globo.
Brazil fines 24 ethanol producers for illegal forest clearing
Brazil fined two dozen ethanol producers accused of illegal clearing the country's endangered Mata Atlântica or Atlantic rainforest, reports The Associated Press.
Rainforest destruction becomes industry-driven, concentrated geographically
New analysis of global deforestation reveals that the bulk of tropical forest loss is occurring in a small number of countries. The research — published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) — shows that Brazil accounts for nearly half of global deforestation, nearly four times that of the next highest country, Indonesia, which makes up about an eighth of worldwide forest clearing.
Brazil signs sustainable ethanol deal with Sweden
A group of Brazilian ethanol producers has signed the first deal to export certified sustainable ethanol, reports Reuters.
Brazil seizes cattle illegally grazing on Amazon forest lands
In an unprecedented move Brazilian authorities seized 3,100 head of cattle found grazing on illegally deforested lands in the Amazon, reports the New York Times. The cattle's owner had been fined 3 million reais ($1.86 million) in 2005 for illegal forest clearing and had ignored a court order to remove the livestock from the lands.
Amazon soy moratorium extended; may be expanded to other products
Soy crushers operating in the Brazilian Amazon have extended a two-year-old moratorium on the purchase of soybeans produced on rainforest lands deforested after 2006, reports Reuters.
Biofuel production on abandoned lands could meet 8% of global energy needs
Using abandoned agricultural lands for biofuel production could help meet up to 8 percent of global energy needs without compromising food supplies or diminishing biologically-rich habitats, reports a new study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
Global Commodities Boom Fuels New Assault on Amazon
With soaring prices for agricultural goods and new demand for biofuels, the clearing of the world's largest rain forest has accelerated dramatically. Unless forceful measures are taken, half of the Brazilian Amazon could be cut, burned or dried out within 20 years.
More than 8% of the Brazilian Amazon is illegally owned
More 42 than million hectares — eight percent — of the Brazilian Amazon is not legally owned, reports a study released last week by a national environmental NGO.
Kayapo tribe gets trust fund for Amazon protection
The government of the Brazilian state of Pará and conservation International-Brasil (CI) have established a trust fund to support conservation and sustainable development initiatives by indigenous Kayapó groups in the Amazon rainforest. The fund will have an initial endowment of 10 million reals (US$6.2 million).
Brazil levies $279 million fine for illegal Amazon logging
Brazilian authorities slapped the largest-ever fine on a timber company now owned by a Swedish sporting goods magnate for alleged illegal logging, according to the Associated Press.
Dung beetles persist in long-term forest fragments but may suffer from hunting of large animals
Dung beetles bury animal dung to use as their own food and to provide food for their young. This group of beetles is especially prevalent in tropical rainforests. Their burying behvaior incidentally contributes to ecosystem functioning and health by the removal of waste, control of dung-breeding pests, soil fertilization and aeration, and the secondary burial of intact seeds found in mammal feces. Because of their important roles in ecosystems, it is important to know how they are affected by habitat change, in this case, habitat fragmentation.
Rare golden primates help speed recovery of endangered Brazilian forest
The endangered golden lion tamarin — a flagship species for conservation efforts in Brazil's highly threatened Atlantic Forest or Mata Atlantica — plays an important role in seed dispersal, thereby helping forest regeneration, according to research published in the June issue of the open access e-journal Tropical conservation Science.
Amazon beef producer creates eco-certified meat product with help of scientists
Independencia Alimentos SA, Brazil's fifth-largest beef producer, will create an "eco-certified", branded beef product from the Amazon's Xingu region. Certification will be based on criteria established by Alian?a da Terra, an Brazilian NGO that seeks to improve the environmental performance of ranchers and beef producers in the world's largest rainforest. The new beef product will include a per-kilo "ecosystem service fee" — calculated with the help of scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center — to facilitate a financial reward for the producer's environmental stewardship.
Brazil creates 3 Amazon parks
In a World Environment Day announcement, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva unveileved three new protected areas covering 6.4 million acres (2.6 million hectares) of Amazon rainforest but warned foreigners to stay out of environmental affairs in the region, according to the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters.
Brazil's new environmental minister blames ranchers for surge in Amazon deforestation
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose significantly in April 2008 according to Carlos Minc, Brazil's newly appointed environment minister.
Pictures of uncontacted Indian tribe in the Amazon (update)
A helicopter fly-over of a remote part of the Brazilian Amazon captured photos of what is believed to be one of the world's last uncontacted tribes, reports a group that works to protect indigenous peoples. Images released by London-based Survival International show an angry response from members of the tribe — warriors in red war paint took aim at the chopper with bows and arrows. The photos, taken by José Carlos dos Reis Meirelles Junior of FUNAI, the Brazilian government's Indian affairs department, were released to bring attention to encroachment on indigenous lands near the border with Peru. Brazil says illegal loggers from Peru are threatening tribes deep in the Amazon rainforest.
Photos of arrow-wielding uncontacted tribe in the Amazon rainforest
A fly-over of a remote part of the Amazon rainforest spotted members of what is believed to be one of the world's last uncontacted tribes. The Amazonians reacted aggressively to the fly-over, with bow and arrows aimed at the plane, according to Survival International, a group that works to protect indigenous peoples.
Brazil's Amazon conservation efforts worth $100 billion
A plan to protect large expanses of the Amazon rainforest could reduce carbon emissions by 1.1 billion tons by 2050, according to a study presented in Bonn, Germany at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Brazil to establish huge Amazon preservation fund
Brazil's state-run development bank announced it will establish a fund to collect international donations for Amazon preservation initiatives, reports Reuters.
40 arrested in illegal timber raid in the Brazilian Amazon
Brazilian federal police arrested at least 40 members of an illegal logging operation in an Amazon Indian reserve in the state of Mato Grosso, reports Reuters.
Brazil will forge its own path for developing the Amazon
The Brazilian government will use cheap loans, payments, and other benefits to encourage Amazon farmers to reduce their impact on the Amazon rainforest, under a plan unveiled last week
Convicted nun-killer freed in the Brazilian Amazon
Charges against a Brazilian rancher convicted of arranging the 2005 murder of a 73-year-old American nun in the Amazon rainforest have been dismissed.
Brazil's environmental minister resigns after losing Amazon fight
Marina Silva, Brazil's environmental minister, resigned Tuesday after losing several key battles in her fight to rein in destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
After acquittal, fear of open season on activists in the Amazon rainforest
Bishop Flavio Giovenale was crushed by the acquittal last week of a rancher accused of ordering the killing of a crusading American nun — and not just because he admired Dorothy Stang. Giovenale, who spends much of his time battling child prostitution, police corruption and drug abuse, fears the verdict means it's open season again on activists in the Amazon jungle state of Para.
46% of Brazil's energy comes from renewable sources
Preliminary data from Brazil's energy ministry shows that bioenergy derived from sugar cane surpassed hydroelectric power as Brazil's secondary largest source of energy in 2007, reports Biopact.
China to push for overseas acquisition of farmland to improve food security
Worries over food security may drive China to seek agricultural lands abroad, according to a report from the Financial Times. Under a proposal by the Ministry of Agriculture, Chinese companies will be encouraged to acquire farmland overseas. The initiative would make foreign land acquisition by Chinese agricultural firms a central government policy.
Judge suspends Amazon dam project due to legal questions
A Brazilian judge has issued a restraining order on a controversial dam in the Amazon basin, reports International Rivers, a conservation group.
Photos of newly discovered species in Brazil's Cerrado
An expedition to Brazil's Cerrado has turned up more than a dozen undiscovered species. conservationists say the discoveries add urgency to protecting the grassland habitat which is rapidly being converted for agriculture.
No sacrifices to ending deforestation in the Amazon, only gains
Regular columnist and co-creator of Brazil's environmental news website, O Eco, Sergio Abranches has great credibility in Brazil's eco-awakening. A professor of political science, Abranches uses his unique talents to reach a widening audience in Brazil for environmental, energy, and climate change news and discussion. He speaks expertly on any number of topics: from Amazonian deforestation to the current food crises to economic and political transformations for a warming world.
'Soy King' says Amazon deforestation could help solve global food crisis
Clearing the Amazon rainforest for soy farms will help address the global food crisis, said Blairo Maggi, the governor of Brazil's chief soy-producing state, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.
Brazil prepares to launch attack on NGOs working in the Amazon
Brazil is planning a crackdown on foreign NGOs working in the Amazon rainforest, reports Reuters. Tourists may also be required to inform officials of their travel plans in the region under the newly proposed rule.
A billion trees to be planted in Brazil's Atlantic Forest over the next 7 years
A billion trees to be planted in the Atlantic Forest over the next seven years. The Nature Conservancy has begun a program to plant a billion trees in Brazil's dwindled Atlantic Forest. The Atlantic Forest used to cover Brazil's long coast, but today only seven percent of the forest remains. Both the megacities of Sao Paulo (the world's fifth largest city) and Rio de Janeiro have emerged and grown in what used to be tropical forest. Yet, the forest remaining retains an incredible bio-diversity much of it endemic.
Land invasions undermine Amazon forest law
Land invasions are undermining a Brazilian law that requires ranchers to keep 80 percent of their land forested, according to reports from the Amazon state of Mato Grosso. A run up in land prices, driven by surging soy and cattle production in the region, combined with a lackadaisical response from law enforcement authorities are blamed for the incursions.
Amazon soy ban seems to be effective in reducing explicit deforestation
An industry-led ban on soy production in the Amazon appears to be proving effective at reducing new clearing for explicit soy production, according to a survey published Monday by Greenpeace and the Brazilian Vegetable Oils Industry Association. The moratorium, which was signed by some of the largest soy crushers in the Amazon in response to a campaign by environmental group Greenpeace, went into effect in October 2006. While soy is believed to be having an indirect impact on deforestation by driving up land prices and competing with the dominant form of land use in the Amazon — cattle ranching — the news is a hopeful sign for conservationists.
Railroad could reduce Amazon deforestation relative to proposed highway
Building a railroad instead of improving a major highway could reduce deforestation and biodiversity loss in the heart of the Amazon rainforest says an Brazilian environmental group.
Markets could save forests: An interview with Dr. Tom Lovejoy
Market mechanisms are increasingly seen as a way to address environmental problems, including tropical deforestation. In particular, compensation for ecosystem services like carbon sequestration — a concept known by the acronym REDD for "reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation" — may someday make conservation a profitable enterprise in which carbon traders are effectively saving rainforests simply by their pursuit of profit. Protecting rainforests and their resident biodiversity would be an unintentional, but happy byproduct of profit-seeking endeavors.
Predator of the world's largest macaw key to its survival
In a bizarre biological twist, a new study shows that the Hyacinth Macaw depends on its greatest predator, the Toco Toucan, for continued survival.
Industry-driven road-building to fuel Amazon deforestation
Unofficial road-building will be a major driver of deforestation and land-use change in the Amazon rainforest, according to an analysis published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Improved governance, as exemplified by the innovative MAP Initiative in the southwestern Amazon, could help reduce the future impact of roads, without diminishing economic prospects in the region.
Cellulosic energy may trigger dramatic collapse in the Amazon
Next generation biofuels may trigger the ecological collapse of the Amazon frontier and could have profoundly unexpected economic consequences for the region, warns a paper published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Dr. Donald Sawyer writes that "interacting with climate change and land use, the upcoming stage of cellulosic energy could result in a collapse of the new frontier into vast degraded pasture." The shift could increase the incidence and severity of fires, reduce rainfall in key agricultural zones, exacerbate forest die-back and climate change, and worsen social instability. Sawyer says that while difficult to anticipate, the worst outcomes could likely be avoided be promoting "intensified and more sustainable use" of already cleared areas, minimizing new deforestation, and encouraging "sustainable use of natural resources by local communities."
Deforestation causes snake invasion in the Amazon
An official with Brazil's environmental protection agency Ibama claims that snakes are invading the city of Belem due to deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
Emissions from deforestation offset by increased tree growth in the Amazon
An increase in carbon sequestration by trees in the Amazon has roughly offset total emissions from deforestation in the region since the 1980s. A new study, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, this trend may slow in the future, causing the world's largest rainforest to become a net source of carbon emissions and therefore contributing to climate change.
Brazil fails to implement deforestation plan - Amazon destruction jumps
Faced with a spike in forest clearing due to high commodity prices, the Brazilian government has failed to enact reforms designed to slow deforestation in the Amazon rainforest says Greenpeace, an environmental group.
Human impacts on primate conservation in central Amazonia
Deforestation in the Amazon is a serious concern. In the Brazilian Amazon, forests are cleared for cattle ranches, soybean cultivation, and selective logging practices. A new plan to settle approximately 180 families north of Manaus, the capital city of the state of Amazonas, has created widespread controversy. The land plots would be located within the study site of the longest-running study of forest fragmentation, the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP). Therefore, the plan would threaten scientific research at the BDFFP and other nearby research sites operated by the Instituto Nacional da Pesquisas de Amazônia (INPA) and Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), as well as the future of the Central Amazonian conservation Corridor.
brazil news from mongabay.com
brazil news.
Brazilian News in Portuguese
República Federativa do Brasil (Portuguese) / Federative Republic of Brazil
Ordem e Progresso (Portuguese) / "Order and Progress"
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil or República Federativa do
Brasil is a country in South America. It is the fifth-largest country by geographical area, the fifth
most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. The official language is
Portuguese. Catholicism is the predominant religion.
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,367 kilometres. Brazil
borders every nation on the South American continent except Ecuador and Chile: Venezuela, Suriname,
Guyana and the department of French Guiana are to the north, Colombia to the northwest, Bolivia and
Peru to the west, Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest, and Uruguay to the south. Numerous
archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo,
Fernando de Noronha, Trindade and Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas.
Brazil is crossed by both the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn, and as such is home to a vast array
fauna and flora, natural environments, as well as extensive natural resources. The Brazilian
population is concentrated along the coastline and in a few large urban centers in the interior.
While Brazil is one of the most populous nations in the world, population density drops dramatically
as one moves inland.
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from its discovery by Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until its
independence in 1822. Initially independent as the Brazilian Empire, the country has been a republic
since 1889, although the bicameral legislature (now called Congress) dates back to 1824, when the
first constitution was ratified. Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federative Republic.
The Federation is formed by the indissoluble association of the States, the Federal District, and
the Municipalities. There are currently 26 States and 5,564 Municipalities.
Brazil is the world's 8th largest economy in terms of purchasing power and the 10th largest
economy at market exchange rates. The country has a diversified middle-income economy with wide
variations in development levels and mature manufacturing, mining and agriculture sectors.
Technology and services also play an important role and are growing rapidly. Brazil is a net
exporter, having gone through free trade and privatization reforms in the 1990s. In spite of
important economical achievements, many social issues still hamper development.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil
| 
