Norway rewards Brazil’s reduced deforestation with new payment

In Doha today, Norway’s minister of the Environment announced that Norway will contribute an additional USD 180 million (NOK 1 billion) to the Amazon Fund, based on Brazil’s impressive reductions in deforestation in 2011. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell to 6.418 square kilometres in 2011 (July 2010 to June 2011), a reduction of close to 70 per cent from historical levels. This was the third year in a row of record-low deforestation rates.

“Brazil’s reduced deforestation in 2011 represents a giant contribution to the global community in terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” Norway’s Minister of the Environment, Bård Vegar Solhjell said.

“In addition, these efforts have tremendous positive effects for biodiversity, the livelihoods of local communities and indigenous peoples, and local and global rainfall patterns. The importance of what Brazil has achieved on deforestation over the last few years can hardly be overestimated”, he added.

Preliminary numbers from Brazil indicate that deforestation continued to decrease in 2012, falling by 27% from 2011 to 2012. Norway’s total contribution to the Amazon fund now totals USD 670 million (NOK 3,55 billion). The total pledge from Norway is USD 1 billion in the years until 2015.

“Brazil has been drastically reducing its deforestation rates, and in 2012 reached the lowest rate of the last 24 years - an estimated 4,656 square kilometers. This effort has been recognized by Norway through the donation of resources to the Amazon fund, which, in complement to goverment investments, will help the sustained reduction of deforestation in the Amazon,” Brazil’s Minister of the Environment, Izabella Teixeira said.

The Minister’s made these remarks as they met in Doha, where both are attending the 18^th Conference of the Parties of the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change.