Ethanol production in Brazil is not causing deforestation in the Amazon region, says Peter Zuurbier, Associate Professor and Director the Latin America Office of Wageningen University, the world's leading center of expertise on tropical agriculture.

According to him, the notion often held by NGO's that sugarcane is displacing cattle and soybean production into the Amazon is inaccurate. “The real problem lies in illegal deforestation and lack of property rights, as around 50 percent of the Amazon region has disputed titles and this is an invitation for timber companies” he says.

In an interview with Ethanol Statistics, prof Zuurbier tries to explain a dynamic process between illegal activities in the Amazon rainforest and the expansion of agricultural lands towards that region. NGO’s often state that sugarcane production is displacing cattle and soybean production towards and into the Amazon, burning down the area to make it suitable for agriculture and pastures.

According to Zuurbier however, the process is slightly different. “Well organized groups and corporations with questionable land titles, but also official land owners began to chop down large acreages of forest to trade timber, both legally and illegally” he says. “Usually, after the empty strips of land were abandoned, cattle owners would move into these cheap lands. However, after 3 to 4 years of cattle breeding, the thin soil of the Amazon is completely useless without any form of fertilization and livestock owners usually move into the next abandoned area. Soybean farmers meanwhile replace the livestock in these areas, recognizing the opportunity to fertilize the area for soybean production.”

De skrupellösa parasiterna jobbar i lag mao.
Utan inverkan av sockerrörsindustrin.

read more here http://www.sucre-ethique.org/Wageningen ... -Brazilian

I think that conclusion is disputed.

And sugar cane is replacing cattle ranching in the centre-southeast regions. So there is indefinently a connection between the increase in sugar cane farming and the depletion of the rainforest in the Amazon.

As the professor tried to explain: No, there isn't.

I think it is the other way around, prof Zuurbier (which means sour beer by the way) is of the opinion that matters are slightly more complecated than what you usualy like to present them.

/Aryan

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As I just said: This conclusion is disputed.

The cattle farmer gets well paid for selling his land to the sugar barons in central-southeast Brazil. This income can buy much land in the Amazon especially as the system of land titling is malfunctioning. That is exactly what the cattle rancher is doing, and we have the indirect effect of sugar cane on the depletion of the Amazon rainforest.

That is at least what a majority of international experts (like me) and NGO:s say.

/track_snake

Ergo:do not buy (illegal) timber from Brazil and stay away from Brasilian meat and soy (the latter might need you to stay away from most European meat as well) you are safe.

/Aryan

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As I just said: This conclusion is disputed.

That is at least what a majority of international experts (like me) and NGO:s say.

Yes. But they are not so complicated that I don't see the relationship clearly... And many more with me:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 75,00.html

Well, "many more with you" are wrong too, then.

Yes, the link you gave is laugable. But, I guess "many more with you" don't want to discover the facts, becasue then they'll look ignorant.