RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Pará state reduced its deforestation rate in July by 32%, when compared to the same month last year. In 12 months the reduction reached 554 km2, the equivalent of an area larger than the city of Porto Alegre.
The government of Pará last year increased the number of inspectors tenfold, in order to fight illegal deforestation.
In this period, 175,810 hectares of criminally deforested areas were seized as well as 5,667 m³ of illegally extracted wood, 230 chainsaws and 125 vehicles, including tractors, loaders and bulldozers.
In addition to fighting deforestation, Pará has implemented a number of social inclusion initiatives to engage the population in environmental preservation, such as the Sustainable Territories program, which has delivered over 400 land deeds, as well as providing access to credit lines and rural insurance.
In October this year Belém will host the World Bio-economy Forum to be held outside its Finnish hometown Ruka for the first time.