Brasília - The head of the United States Forest Service, Dale Bosworth, is in Brazil for a ten-day visit to learn about how the country acts to combat forest and brush fires. After a meeting with the Brazilian Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, Bosworth said that the United States has made progress in research to control, prevent, and manage burnings.

Bosworth said that the American government can help Brazilian fire-fighting programs with technical support and that he also wants to become acquainted with the technologies developed by Brazil. According to data from the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), over 97 thousand hot spots have already been detected in the country this year.

"Another area of interest is sustainable forest management. In the United States we have carried out logging and cattle ranching in a sustainable manner, so that this can be passed down to future generations," he added. From Brasília Bosworth moves on to the cities of Belém and Santarém, in northern Brazil, and São Paulo.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Cecília Jorge
Translator: David Silberstein
09/08/2004