Bioenergy in Brazil – from traditional to modern systems - Biomass as Energy Source: Resources, Systems and Applications - page 73

Figure 4.3. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon 1991-2010, in km 2 (IBGE, 2011).
leisure and tourism. In this context, guaranteeing local access to the forest and the continuation
of non-cash activities is a major issue for local populations (Dhakal et al ., 2012).
Brazil is one of the five richest countries in the world when it comes to forest coverage, and
the number one in continuous coverage of tropical forest. In fact, 22% of the world's forests are
located in Brazil (FAO, 2011). Deforestation is still a major problem and the largest source of
greenhouse gas emissions in the country. In general, deforestation has been performed to expand
agriculture and cattle raising activities, to produce charcoal aimed at the iron and steel industry, to
supply wood for construction purposes or markets for exotic species, to name some of the major
causes. After the start of industrialization in the 1930s, the causes of deforestation have varied
significantly among regions. In the Southeast, the development of the iron and steel industry
triggered the demand for charcoal after the 1940s. In the west and north, policies to occupy
and explore the region fostered deforestation particularly after the 1960s. The development of
a metallurgical pole in the Amazon in the last two decades has also pushed deforestation in the
region. The use of fuel wood for cooking has had a decreasing importance when it comes to
threats to Brazilian forests.
Internationally, threats on the Amazon region have caught particular attention. Figure 4.3
shows deforestation in the BrazilianAmazon, where more than half of the Brazilian deforestation
occurs, between 1991 and 2010. The decreasing rate of deforestation observed is a result of a
number of measures to contain forest clearance in the region including continuous monitoringwith
satellite images. However, Brazil has other important biomes, which have been under continued
pressure, particularly the Atlantic forest, and cerrado areas, which have been systematically
used for charcoal production or cleared to accommodate agricultural expansion in the past. The
remaining areas of Atlantic forest are protected at present and also the cerrado to some extent,
but illegal activities still occur particularly in the latter.
There is expectation that the national and international demand for wood will increase fast in the
near future, reaching 21 million m 3 per year. This will require 36 million ha of forests in a 30-year
cycle. This too could lead to increased pressure on native forests, and has led to the proposition
to open part of the public forests for sustainable management as a way to avoid uncontrolled and
illegal deforestation. Although planted forests have been substituting natural forests in a number
of industrial applications, the expected increase in demand could pose new threats to the Brazilian
forests. At present, 11 million ha of public forests are managed on a productive basis. There are
still significant extensions of forests under federal and state jurisdiction, which could be used
for economic purposes on a sustainable basis, thus avoiding illegal pressure on natural forests -
this excludes natural reserves and indigenous land. If properly implemented, an increase in the
economic value of forests might help towards more preservation (SFB and IPAM, 2011).