Success as voting on Brazil’s Forest Law postponed until March

Thanks in part to campaigners across Brazil and the world, final voting on controversial changes to the country’s Forest Law has been postponed until March 2012. This is a great success - but it’s not over yet.

It was announced this week that the Brazilian House of Representatives has postponed its final voting on changes to the Forest Law. A vote in favour could still see vast areas of tropical forest in the Amazon and elsewhere destroyed for cattle ranching and agriculture.

The postponement is a great success for environmental and social movements, both within Brazil and beyond, who have actively campaigned against the changes since they were drafted earlier this year. It buys time to build the campaign further and encourage more action to stop the changes.

But the agribusiness lobby aren’t giving up, and we will have to work hard to keep environmental issues on the agenda.

Acre and Sky Rainforest Rescue
States like Acre are setting a vitally important example in this critical time. Over the past decade, Acre has reduced deforestation faster than the Brazilian national average, while economic growth and a number of social indicators (including literacy, infant mortality and sanitation) have improved. The intelligent use of existing technology along with a strong commitment from the state government has made it possible to increase agricultural production without cutting down more forest – a fact which starkly contradicts the arguments that are fuelling the proposed changes.

Read the story of Paulo Sergio Peres, a farmer from Acre who opposes the changes.

 Find out more on the WWF website.