Global News - February 2008

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Amazon wildlife corridors 'need to be strengthened'

Tue 19 February 2008 13:45 UK — South America,Other

Protected strips of the Amazon rainforest need to be increased in size if they are to help preserve rare species of animal found in the area, according to a new study.

Research, undertaken by a team from the University of East Anglia and published in the Conservation Biology journal, discovered that the current legal requirements for the strips of rainforest surrounding rivers and streams were too limited.

While the minimum legal width for the reserves is 60 metres, the study argues that an increase to a minimum of 400 metres is required to safeguard animal populations and their habitat.

"There are proposals on the table to actually weaken the minimum legal requirements, when they need to be strengthened," said the report's co-author, Dr Carlos Peres, referring to plans being discussed by the Brazilian parliament.

"This is a huge wildlife conservation issue locally - with global implications in terms of biodiversity and climate change - and we would urge policy-makers to act on this important new research before it is too late."

Recent figures published by the Brazilian government revealed an increase in the rate of deforestation in the Amazon during the last five months of 2007, coming after three years of consecutive falls in the amount of destruction in the region.

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