Rainforest police target illegal logging
Brazil’s environment ministry has taken steps to save the rainforest by disrupting the illegal logging industry.
About $2.7 million dollars worth of illegally logged wood from indigenous lands were seized by environmental police during a surprise raid in Nova Esperança do Piria. According to Reuters, some 13 logging companies and sawmills were shut down while tractors, guns, and ammunitions were seized in the remote area […]
The government aims to reduce deforestation to a record low in the year to July. It hopes to ensure that deforestation, the cutting down or burning of the rainforest, does not exceed 3,700 square miles. Recent research has shown that the rainforest is a valuable global resource as not only does it harbour a variety of animal and plant species, but it also absorbs a significant amount of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
(adapted from
http://www.coolearth.org/345/news-32/rainforestnews-155/rainforest-police-target-illegal-logging-632.html)