Cattle ranching eating up Latin American forests.Cattle ranching is the leading cause of forest destruction in Latin America, according to a June 2005 study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO FAO, n See Food and Agriculture Organization. ). By 2010, reports FAO, more than 1 million hectares of forest will be lost in Central America, 62 percent of it to ranching. In South America, a staggering 18 million hectares will be lost, 70 percent to ranching. Even the region's "protected" areas are at risk: the Maya Biosphere biosphere, irregularly shaped envelope of the earth's air, water, and land encompassing the heights and depths at which living things exist. The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating system (see ecology), sustained by grand-scale cycles of energy and of in Guatemala and at least three national parks in South America are expected to have land cleared for pasture. FAO's latest findings echo a report released by the Center for International Forestry Research The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) an international research institution committed to conserving forests and improving the livelihoods of people in the tropics by helping farmers and communities gain from forest resources. It is based in Bogor, Indonesia. (CIFOR CIFOR Center for International Forestry Research (Indonesia) ) in April 2004. According to CIFOR, rapid growth in Brazilian beef sales overseas has accelerated destruction of Brazil's Amazon rainforest. Total forest loss increased from 41.5 million hectares in 1990 to 58.7 million hectares in 2000. In just 10 years, says CIFOR, an area twice the size of Portugal was cleared, most of it for pasture. Soybean soybean, soya bean, or soy pea, leguminous plant (Glycine max, G. soja, or Soja max) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Asia, where it has been production for animal feed is contributing to deforestation deforestation Process of clearing forests. Rates of deforestation are particularly high in the tropics, where the poor quality of the soil has led to the practice of routine clear-cutting to make new soil available for agricultural use. as well. In 2004 alone, more than 2.6 million hectares of Brazilian rainforest were cleared for farming, a 6-percent increase over 2003, and most of that was for soybeans to feed Brazil's rapidly growing poultry and pork industries. As with beef, most of the meat produced is not for Brazilian dinner tables, but for export. But Latin America's meat production doesn't have to harm the environment. With support from U.S.-based Conservation International and Brazil's Biodynamic bi·o·dy·nam·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to the study of the effects of dynamic processes, such as motion or acceleration, on living organisms. 2. Beef Institute, farmers from six cattle ranches covering 161,900 hectares in Brazil's Pantanal region are learning to raise organic beef and to preserve the region's native grasses. To become certified, they must raise only native cattle breeds and can't use any antibiotics or growth hormones or destroy any of the local vegetation for grazing. By raising cattle in a way that is compatible with the surrounding environment, farmers can help protect the region's rich biological diversity. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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