Brasília - The National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) will work together on forest management in the agrarian reform settlements of the Amazon. A technical cooperation agreement between the two organs was signed today in Brasília, during the National Meeting of Incra Superintendents and Commissioners of the Ministry of Agrarian Development.

The idea is to reconcile agrarian reform, the environment, and economic development by controlling the burnings and deforestation practiced by rural workers settled in the region. The goal is to establish a new model of utilization that treats the forest as a source of income. "It is important to demonstrate that the forest is worth more standing than fallen. And this is true for both large and small settlements," emphasized the president of the Ibama, Marcus Barros.

In his view, the agreement marks the beginning of rational use of timber resources on small properties. Barros explained that the degree of deforestation on small settlements taken as a whole is very high.

Barros admits that abolishing burnings in Brazilian rural culture is not an easy task, but it is perfectly possible through the rapport between Incra and Ibama. He points out that, to the extent that new techniques of deforestation and controlled burnings replace the indiscriminate use of fire, it is possible to revert this situation. As an example, he cited the case of Roraima, in which the traditional burnings practically didn't appear in the media this year, because the incidence of deforestation through the use of fire was very small. "This proves we are on the right path," he declared.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Mauricio Cardoso
Translator: David Silberstein
09/13/2004