No forests, no future

1996/04/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

In the future there will be no jungles in Brazil. At least, Indians who live, raise and work for centuries believe this, and in recent months have come out to denounce it. The government wants to leave forestry in private hands and the consequence is that mining and agriculture have found easy and convenient access.

This will mean a radical change in the way of life of the inhabitants of origin, that is, of the Indians, and with it, in the aspect of the jungle. They have already begun to suffer the devastating consequences of this attitude. Biologists warn of the loss of large amounts of plants and animals that will no longer be recoverable. On the other hand, it is known that the violent changes that are taking place in some regions of the Amazon directly affect the structure of the climate, so it is emphasized that the problem is not only of the Indians but of all.

However, the primary consequences are for the Indians. According to a study by the University of Sao Paolo, half of the forest population currently has health problems related to food shortages.