WWF Logo


WWF Press Release






Back to the News Room

Related Information:

Forests For Life Campaign

Protected Forest Area Triples in Brazil's Amazon



Brazil Protects 25 Million Hectares in The Amazon

April 29th, 1998

Atlantic Forest, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Government announces first steps towards the implementation of WWF's "Forest for Life" Campaign

Brasilia,- Brazil will be the first country to join the alliance between the World Bank and WWF for the protection of at least 10% of the world's forests. In a special ceremony, scheduled for 3:30pm on April 29, at the Alvorada Palace (the President's residence), in Brasilia, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso announces plans for the creation and implementation of 25 million hectares of new protected areas in the Amazon rainforest by the year 2000, as part of this alliance. This is an area equivalent to the size of the United Kingdom.

President Cardoso also announces the immediate creation of four new protected areas, two in the Amazon Region and two in the Atlantic Forest, with the support of the World Bank and WWF. These new areas total about seven times more than the area of parks and reserves created in Brazil since UNCED, in 1992.

These are the first steps taken by the Brazilian government to implement the pledge made last December to protect at least 10% of the Brazilian forests, in response to WWF's "Forests for Life" campaign. "The partnership between the World Bank and WWF will play an important role in enabling countries that are committed to the preservation of their biodiversity to implement their projects", says Cardoso in the statement which will be seen and heard on video at the public event held in Washington, D.C. also on the 29th, with the presence of the president of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, and the Director General of WWF International, Claude Martin.

"The WWF Living Planet Campaign comes thus at the right moment to encourage our national efforts in the preservation of  biodiversity", recognizes President Cardoso." This is a bold initiative that will almost triple the area under protection in the Amazon rainforest", agrees Dr. Garo Batmanian, Executive Director of WWF Brazil. "This is a major first step towards conservation of the Amazon, but many more steps are needed, and we hope our partners further this work", added Dr. Batmanian.

In his statement, President Cardoso also announces plans for the creation of additional 15 new protected areas by the end of this year, totaling further 2 million hectares.

For further information, please contact
Ulisses Lacava, WWF Brazil -
phone (+5561) 248.2899,
fax (+5561) 364.3057