The administration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has drafted legislation that would allow the government to grant sustainable-logging concessions in public forests, mainly in the Amazon region. The bill, to be submitted to the Brazilian Congress next month, could open a huge amount of land to managed forestry as well as such other activities as fruit and nut gathering and rubber tapping. Approximately 50% of all forested land in Brazil and 75% of all forested property in the Brazilian Amazon is publicly owned. Of the public forestland in the Amazon, about 30% comprises national parks, indigenous reserves and other protected areas, while the remaining 45% is unprotected. The government believes that by promoting sustainable use of Amazon forestland, it will discourage... [Log in to read more]