ENVIRONMENT AND RAINFORESTS

Latin America has 40% of its surface covered with tropical forests.
The Amazon region comprises a third of the planet´s tropical forests.
According to the United Nations Development Program, the contribution of the forestry sector in the region amounts to R$ 4,3 billion, corresponding to about 24 million cubic meters.
There are approximately 7.500 sawmills, generating 120 thousand direct employments and 600 thousand indirect workplaces.
Twenty years ago the Amazon region contributed with 14% of the Brazilian timber production; currently that contribution represents more than 80% of the 34 million cubic meters produced. (official numbers).

The growing utilization of these natural resources, in an irrational form, has provoked worldwide reactions from the environmentalists.
One estimates that in the State of Pará, one of the greatest timber producing centers of the country, for each fallen tree with commercial value, 51 other lesser trees are destroyed and left behind.
Only 30% of the wood is effectively utilized; the remaining 65% are transformed in residues during the processing.
Brazil contributes with only 5% of the world timber market , but estimates say that within 10 years the country will be transformed into the main production center.

CARBON SEQUESTERING

The growing atmospheric pollution and the global warming (greenhouse effect) are other factors of great worldwide concern, even more so after the ECO-92 convened in Rio de Janeiro.
In Kyoto, 1997, has been discussed a protocol of intentions establishing mechanisms aimed to allow the polluting enterprises (or countries) to make a compensation of their emissions, through investments in projects that sequester carbon.
One estimates that the trading of “Certificates of Carbon Sequestering” will create a global market in the order of US$ 20 billion per year.