{"id":202317,"date":"2022-01-03T12:00:38","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=202317"},"modified":"2021-12-30T04:47:15","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T04:47:15","slug":"rampant-forest-destruction-wracks-reserve-as-cattle-ranching-advances-in-brazilian-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2022\/01\/rampant-forest-destruction-wracks-reserve-as-cattle-ranching-advances-in-brazilian-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Rampant Forest Destruction\u2019 Wracks Reserve as Cattle Ranching Advances in Brazilian Amazon"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_202319\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brasil_Rondo\u0302nia_deforastation-amazon-cattle.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-202319\" class=\"wp-image-202319\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brasil_Rondo\u0302nia_deforastation-amazon-cattle-1024x506.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brasil_Rondo\u0302nia_deforastation-amazon-cattle-1024x506.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brasil_Rondo\u0302nia_deforastation-amazon-cattle-300x148.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brasil_Rondo\u0302nia_deforastation-amazon-cattle-768x380.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brasil_Rondo\u0302nia_deforastation-amazon-cattle-1536x759.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brasil_Rondo\u0302nia_deforastation-amazon-cattle.jpeg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-202319\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Operation Green Brazil from Ibama via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><em>29 Dec 2021<br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"bulletpoints\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>The Terra do Meio Ecological Station comprises some 3.37 million hectares in the Brazilian Amazon state of Par\u00e1, and is home to hundreds of species \u2013 including some that are threatened with extinction.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>But despite its protected status, Terra do Meio has come under growing pressure, with satellite data showing deforestation doubling in 2021.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Environmentalists say the destruction within Terra do Meio is being driven by illegal loggers, cattle ranchers and land speculators spilling over from the neighboring \u00c1rea de Prote\u00e7\u00e3o Ambiental (APA) Triunfo do Xingu, a sustainable use reserve that has become the most deforested slice of the Brazilian Amazon in recent years.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Pending legislation could make it even easier to legalize illegitimate land claims, providing hope to land speculators and cattle ranchers that they could soon receive land titles for land they have deforested and occupied illegally.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>The lush rainforest stretches for miles across the Terra do Meio Ecological Station, in Brazil\u2019s northern state of Par\u00e1. Near the edge of the vast protected reserve, a makeshift road slices through the thick emerald canopy. Flanking it are swaths of freshly cleared land, spanning hundreds of hectares. Further south, forest is being replaced by neat patches of pasture.<\/p>\n<p>The Terra do Meio reserve is a federally protected area spanning 3.37 million hectares (8.3 million acres) across the Amazon state of Par\u00e1. It is home to hundreds of species, including some of which, such as the margay (<em>Leopardus wiedii<\/em>) \u2013 a small, nocturnal wild cat native to Central and South America \u2013 are threatened with extinction. The reserve is also part of the Xingu Basin, an ecologically rich mosaic made up of 28 conservation areas and 18 Indigenous territories.<\/p>\n<p>But, despite its protected status, the Terra do Meio reserve has come under growing pressure. Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 14, some 25,943 deforestation alerts were confirmed in primary forest within it, according to satellite data from the University of Maryland visualized on Global Forest Watch. And <a href=\"http:\/\/www.obt.inpe.br\/OBT\/assuntos\/programas\/amazonia\/prodes\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">data from Brazil\u2019s space research agency, INPE<\/a>, showed that some 2,963 hectares of forest were cleared within the reserve this year, nearly double the area deforested in 2020.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_251243\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014712\/1228-tdm-map.jpg\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-251243 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014717\/1228-tdm-map-small-768x512.jpg\" alt=\"Satellite data from the University of Maryland visualized on Global Forest Watch show deforestation spreading from APA Triunfo do Xingu into Terra do Meio Ecological Station.\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Satellite data from the University of Maryland visualized on Global Forest Watch show deforestation spreading from APA Triunfo do Xingu into the Terra do Meio Ecological Station.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis is a region that should be completely preserved,\u201d said R\u00f4mulo Batista, campaigner with Greenpeace Brazil. \u201cThere should be zero deforestation there. But instead, we are seeing rampant forest destruction, which is really worrying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As deforestation advances within the Terra do Meio reserve, the plots being razed are becoming larger too, according to Edenise Garcia, science director at The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit monitoring deforestation in the region. The biggest patch of land deforested in the reserve totaled some 463 hectares this year, up from about 280 hectares the year before, Garcia said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe deforestation is becoming more and more noticeable \u2013 in other words, they\u2019re becoming bolder,\u201d she told Mongabay in a phone interview. \u201cIt\u2019s a warning that these people are going in to clear larger and larger plots of land.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Swaths of the reserve have also been burned this year, and satellite data from NASA show fire alerts coinciding with deforestation alerts. Most of these occurred in August and September, the dry season when most illegal burning takes place across the Amazon.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_251247\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014727\/1228-tdm-viirs-img.jpg\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-251247 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014732\/1228-tdm-viirs-img-768-768x512.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014732\/1228-tdm-viirs-img-768-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014732\/1228-tdm-viirs-img-768-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Data from NASA show fire alerts clustering in deforested areas in and around Terra fo Meio. Fire is often used to clear land for agriculture in the tropics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Environmentalists say the destruction within Terra do Meio is being driven by illegal loggers, cattle ranchers and land speculators. And they warn that much of the deforestation is spilling over from the neighboring \u00c1rea de Prote\u00e7\u00e3o Ambiental (APA) Triunfo do Xingu, a sustainable use reserve that has become the most deforested slice of the Brazilian Amazon in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt should be serving as a buffer shielding the areas that are under stricter protection,\u201d said Larissa Amorim, a researcher at Imazon, an NGO monitoring the forest clearing. \u201cBut unfortunately, deforestation has already practically taken over the Triunfo do Xingu. And, now, it\u2019s advancing beyond it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Advocates warn that the invasions are threatening Terra do Meio\u2019s biodiversity, while also opening up the broader ecological mosaic to deforestation and destruction. Other protected areas that lie beyond the reserve, like the Kayapo and Karara\u00f4 Indigenous Territories, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2020\/08\/brazilian-amazon-protected-areas-in-flames-as-land-grabbers-invade\/\"  data-wpel-link=\"internal\">are already coming under attack<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are regions that have the greatest ecological importance and that must be protected to ensure the integrity of the rainforest as a whole, \u201d Batista said. \u201cAnd this is what we are ultimately losing with this surge in deforestation.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Destruction next door<\/h3>\n<p>The Terra do Meio reserve is nestled deep in Brazil\u2019s cattle heartland, straddling the municipalities of Altamira and S\u00e3o F\u00e9lix do Xingu. In this corner of the Amazon, the economy is fueled by ranching: S\u00e3o F\u00e9lix do Xingu is home to some 2.3 million head of cattle, Brazil\u2019s largest herd.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/780\/colombia\/colombia_5770.jpg\" alt=\"Cattle ranching is one of the biggest drivers of deforestation in the Amazon. Image by Rhett Butler\/Mongabay.\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cattle ranching is one of the biggest drivers of deforestation in the Amazon. Image by Rhett Butler\/Mongabay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Much of this cattle ranching is clustered within the APA Triunfo do Xingu, where authorities allow land-holders to deforest and develop a fifth of their land if they promise to preserve the rest. When it was created over a decade ago, Triunfo do Xingu was intended as a shield for vulnerable areas beyond its boundaries, like the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory and the Terra do Meio Ecological Station.<\/p>\n<p>But, amid<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2019\/10\/witnessing-extinction-in-the-flames-as-the-amazon-burns-for-agribusiness\/\"  data-wpel-link=\"internal\"> lax monitoring and enforcement,<\/a> large-scale deforestation within Triunfo do Xingu has skyrocketed, with most of the land turned into pasture. This year alone, it was responsible for a tenth of Par\u00e1\u2019s deforestation, with about half of the destruction driven by just 10 large property-holders, according to Garcia. About <a href=\"https:\/\/reporterbrasil.org.br\/2021\/05\/consorcios-do-engano-viabilizam-destruicao-em-unidade-de-conservacao-campea-em-desmatamento\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">40% of Triunfo do Xingu\u2019s forests have already been cleared<\/a> and it now tops Brazil\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/imazon.org.br\/imprensa\/apa-do-tapajos-e-resex-chico-mendes-sao-as-areas-protegidas-mais-pressionadas-pelo-desmatamento-na-amazonia\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">list of most deforested protected reserves.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Triunfo do Xingu APA was created to allow some kind of human activity in a sustainable way,\u201d Amorim said. \u201cBut we see that it is not sustainable at all. And the illegal activities that are taking place there end up spilling beyond it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The destruction next door has had a devastating impact on the Terra do Meio reserve, environmentalists say. As forest is converted to pasture, reserves beyond the Triunfo do Xingu \u2013 including the Terra do Meio \u2013 are becoming more easily accessible to outsiders, allowing them to invade deeper into the forest.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com\/768\/peru\/peru_166563.jpg\" alt=\"Terra do Meido is home to margays (Leopardus wiedii), which are small wild cats native to South and Central America. Image by Rhett Butler\/Mongabay.\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Terra do Meido is home to margays (Leopardus wiedii), which are small wild cats native to South and Central America. Image by Rhett Butler\/Mongabay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This seems to be echoed by the pattern of deforestation seen within the Terra do Meio reserve. At least half a dozen roads have been carved into the territory so far, according to satellite images. And much of the fresh clearing this year has been clustered around one clandestine road halting at the APA\u2019s doorstep, according to Garcia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we may be seeing is an opening for selective timber extraction, which is the first step towards deforestation,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd as the forest becomes more degraded, people come in and cut the rest to put cattle there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the buffer zone retreats, the ecological corridor that the Terra do Meio reserve is part of is left more vulnerable too. With the dense forest in this reserve thinning, invaders in search of new areas to exploit can more easily reach other protected areas like the Xipaya, Ba\u00fa, and Cachoeira Seca do Iriri Indigenous Reserves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe illegal loggers and land speculators are taking advantage of this opportunity to make inroads, to make this particular area more accessible,\u201d Amorim said.<\/p>\n<p>Environmental advocates also worry that the deforestation slicing through Terra do Meio on the west could soon join a wave of forest clearing advancing from the southeast through the Iriri State Forest. That frontier of deforestation is being driven by clearing along the BR-163 highway, according to environmentalists.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists warn that if the habitat corridor continues to fragment, some species may struggle to survive in the remaining slivers of rainforest, dealing a blow to biodiversity. The splintering of the forest may also make it more difficult for Indigenous and traditional people who rely on hunting in large swaths of the Amazon for their survival.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_251245\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014720\/1228-tdm-sat-img.jpg\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-251245 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014724\/1228-tdm-sat-img-small.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014724\/1228-tdm-sat-img-small.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014724\/1228-tdm-sat-img-small-610x396.jpg 610w\" alt=\"Satellite imagery from Planet Labs captured October 2021 show the recent expansion of clearings into the surrounding forest of Terra do Meio Ecological Station.\" width=\"768\" height=\"499\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Satellite imagery from Planet Labs captured October 2021 show the recent expansion of clearings into the surrounding forest of the Terra do Meio Ecological Station.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The fragmentation of the rainforest in this region will also likely lead to a shift in local climate patterns, resulting in less rainfall and dwindling water sources, said Thaise Rodrigues, a researcher with the Rede Xingu+, a network of environmental and Indigenous groups working in the Xingu Basin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are already seeing that the forest is getting drier,\u201d Rodrigues told Mongabay in a phone interview. \u201cThis will influence the water quality in the region. And this is the same water that Indigenous people and traditional communities in the forest use to bathe, to drink, to fish.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Promise of amnesty<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Environmental advocates blame the surge in invasions ravaging the Terra do Meio reserve on a series of friendly signals from the federal government, which they say has encouraged invaders to encroach on protected areas without fear of punishment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you have a fragile system of command and control, you are not curbing deforestation, you\u2019re not curbing illicit activities,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cOn the contrary \u2013 these opportunistic groups end up realizing that it is easy to deforest within conservation areas.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_251250\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014744\/Rio_Novo_Estac%CC%A7a%CC%83o_Ecolo%CC%81gica_Terra_do_Meio_2.jpeg\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-251250\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014744\/Rio_Novo_Estac%CC%A7a%CC%83o_Ecolo%CC%81gica_Terra_do_Meio_2.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014744\/Rio_Novo_Estac%CC%A7a%CC%83o_Ecolo%CC%81gica_Terra_do_Meio_2.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014744\/Rio_Novo_Estac%CC%A7a%CC%83o_Ecolo%CC%81gica_Terra_do_Meio_2-610x406.jpeg 610w\" alt=\"Verdant rainforest shrouds the banks of Rio Novo in Terra do Meio Ecological Station. Image by Exlibris via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).\" width=\"768\" height=\"511\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Verdant rainforest shrouds the banks of Rio Novo in the Terra do Meio Ecological Station. Image by Exlibris via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly promised to open up protected areas and Indigenous reserves to mining, ranching and agriculture. Under his watch, cumulative deforestation in Brazil\u2019s Amazon hit its highest level since 2006 this year. Protected areas such as Terra do Meio have come under particularly heavy pressure from invasions. Forest destruction within reserves has jumped<a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/brasil\/blog\/com-bolsonaro-amazonia-tem-maior-desmatamento-desde-2006\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"> by nearly one-third<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A long-time proponent of developing the Amazon, Bolsonaro has slashed budgets for environmental policing, fired top agents at federal enforcement agencies, and moved to obstruct the system of environmental fines by allowing offenders to dispute them. Fines punishing such crimes have plunged to their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-brazil-environment-idUSKBN20W2ZJ\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">lowest level in 24 years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the one hand, you have a discourse that favors and encourages land-grabbing,\u201d said Rodrigues. \u201cAnd on the other hand, you have the weakening of the institutions responsible for controlling this. So, it\u2019s only natural that deforestation in protected areas has increased really dramatically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Under pressure from the international community, Bolsonaro recently softened his tone and vowed to eliminate illegal deforestation in less than a decade. The federal government has pointed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.br\/casacivil\/pt-br\/assuntos\/noticias\/2021\/dezembro\/desmatamento-na-amazonia-registou-queda-de-19-em-novembro\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">a 19% drop in deforestation for the month of November <\/a>as proof that it is moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_251251\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014747\/Willisornis_vidua_-_Xingu_scale-back_antbird_young_male.jpeg\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-251251\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014747\/Willisornis_vidua_-_Xingu_scale-back_antbird_young_male-768x512.jpeg\" alt=\"The tiny Xingu scale-back antbird is one of the many species that inhabit the forests of Terra do Meio Ecological Station. Image by Hector Bottai via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The tiny Xingu scale-back antbird (Willisornis vidua) is one of the many species that inhabit the forests of the Terra do Meio Ecological Station, as well as the surrounding Xingu Basin. Image by Hector Bottai via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This month, Brazil\u2019s environmental ministry<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2021\/12\/slashing-of-forest-protections-ignites-land-grabbing-frenzy-in-brazilian-amazon\/\"  data-wpel-link=\"internal\"> also told Mongabay <\/a>that a larger budget in 2021 allowed it to double its spending on enforcement, including the purchase of equipment, vehicles and navigation systems. It said it is \u201cstrengthening the fight against illegal deforestation\u201d and it is in the process of hiring 739 new inspection officers at Ibama and ICMBio, Brazil\u2019s two federal enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n<p>Still, environmentalists say the government\u2019s efforts have fallen short in curbing forest destruction, claiming that enforcement efforts have focused on ineffective large-scale crackdowns rather than consistent policing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnforcement must be more rigorous in these areas,\u201d Amorim said. \u201cPolicing is taking place in the Amazon, we cannot say it doesn\u2019t occur. But it hasn\u2019t been intense and persistent enough to tackle the scale of the deforestation problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Between August 2019 and July 2021, the federal government spent some R$550 million ($97.7 million) on massive military operations aimed at combating deforestation in the Amazon. During its high-profile Operation Green Brazil 2, which ended this year, agents carried out 105,000 inspections, seizing 506,000 cubic meters of illegal timber and handing out 5,480 fines totaling some R$3.3 billion ($583.6 million), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.br\/defesa\/pt-br\/centrais-de-conteudo\/noticias\/operacao-verde-brasil-2-encerra-com-queda-no-desmatamento\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">according to government figures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_251249\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014741\/Operac%CC%A7a%CC%83o_Verde_Brasil_Rondo%CC%82nia_48683027572.jpeg\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-251249\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014741\/Operac%CC%A7a%CC%83o_Verde_Brasil_Rondo%CC%82nia_48683027572-768x512.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014741\/Operac%CC%A7a%CC%83o_Verde_Brasil_Rondo%CC%82nia_48683027572.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/29014741\/Operac%CC%A7a%CC%83o_Verde_Brasil_Rondo%CC%82nia_48683027572-610x407.jpeg 610w\" alt=\"Officials from Operation Green Brazil cary a confiscated chainsaw and gas tank. Image by Ibama via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Officials from Operation Green Brazil cary a confiscated chainsaw and gas tank. Image by Ibama via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The head of the military <a href=\"https:\/\/revistaforum.com.br\/brasil\/comandante-exercito-reducao-desmatamento-mas-aumento\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">recently touted these operations as a major success<\/a>, crediting them with reducing deforestation in the Amazon dramatically. Yet, according to official INPE data, forest destruction actually rose 22% over the course of the operations.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, environmentalists say a pair of legislative proposals currently moving through Brazil\u2019s Senate have also undermined efforts to stop incursions into the forest. If approved, these two land reform bills could make it easier to legalize illegitimate land claims.<\/p>\n<p>This has bolstered hopes among land speculators and cattle ranchers that they could soon receive land titles for land they have deforested and occupied illegally, Batista said, fueling invasions of reserves like Terra do Meio.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis legislation could mean those who invaded areas illegally end up winning amnesty for it,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen they invade, this is what they are betting on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>______________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong>\u00a0This story was powered by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.globalforestwatch.org\/places-to-watch\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Places to Watch<\/a>, a Global Forest Watch (GFW) initiative designed to quickly identify concerning forest loss around the world and catalyze further investigation of these areas. Places to Watch draws on a combination of near-real-time satellite data, automated algorithms and field intelligence to identify new areas on a monthly basis. In partnership with Mongabay, GFW is supporting data-driven journalism by providing data and maps generated by Places to Watch. Mongabay maintains complete editorial independence over the stories reported using this data<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Morgan Erickson-Davis has been writing for <\/em>Mongabay<em> since 2008 and came on full-time in 2014. Trained in biology, she has taken any available opportunity to learn more about the world, from working as a fisheries biologist aboard longliners and freighters in the South Pacific to evaluating river health in western Montana. She spent eight years editing technical papers before jumping into journalism, with more than 50 manuscripts under her belt. Currently, Morgan manages <\/em>Mongabay<em>&#8216;s forests and global palm oil reporting programs.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Ana-Ionova.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-202322 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Ana-Ionova-e1640839590277.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"67\" \/><\/a>Ana Ionova is a freelance multimedia journalist covering the environment, human rights and politics in Brazil. Her work has been published by<\/em> Reuters, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera <em>and others. She has previously worked in Argentina, the Balkans and the Middle East.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2021\/12\/rampant-forest-destruction-wracks-reserve-as-cattle-ranching-advances-in-brazilian-amazon\/\" >Go to Original &#8211; mongabay.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>29 Dec 2021- The Terra do Meio reserve is a federally protected area across the Amazon Brazilian state of Par\u00e1. But, despite its protected status, the reserve has come under growing pressure. Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 14 2021, some 25,943 deforestation alerts were confirmed in primary forest within it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":202319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[536,1176,547,239,2605,1690,686,2604,550,794,401,1393,993,1797,487,866,2071,541,846,1200,1255,329,92],"class_list":["post-202317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","tag-amazonia","tag-bolsonaro","tag-brazil","tag-brics","tag-carbon-source","tag-cattle-and-ranch-farmers","tag-climate-change","tag-co2","tag-corruption","tag-deforestation","tag-environment","tag-forest-fires","tag-global-warming","tag-greenpeace","tag-human-rights","tag-indigenous-rights","tag-jbs","tag-latin-america-caribbean","tag-meat-industry","tag-natures-rights","tag-rain-forests","tag-resources","tag-violent-conflict"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}