The Devastation of Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units in the Amazonian State of Rondônia, Brazil

Rapid deforestation in the Amazon has been a major focus of concerns at the national and international levels, as well as critiques of environmental and development policies of the Brazilian government. The devastation of rain forests is the main factor responsible for the country’s ranking among the five leading contributors of greenhouse gases emissions that produce global warming. Despite recent government measures to increase protection of forests, including punishment of environmental crimes, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has proceeded at an accelerated pace, especially since mid-2007.

Within this regional context, the state of Rondônia, covering an area of 238.513 km2 in the southwestern Amazon, has played a key role. According to remote sensing data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), cumulative deforestation in the state reached nine million hectares or 38% of its land area in July 2007, surpassing the percentages of neighboring states such as Pará and Mato Grosso, considered “champions of deforestation”. Within the area originally covered by forests in Rondônia (202.776 km2) approximately 44,33% were cleared by July, 2007.

End of rain forest? The Devastation of Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units in the Amazonian State of Rondônia, Brazil