Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Giant Cross-Border Forest Reserve

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Apr 14 2003 (IPS) - The Tumucumaque Mountains National Park, the world’s largest tropical forest conservation area, covers 38,000 square km in northern Brazil, and will soon add another 30,000 in neighboring French Guiana. Brazil is working with France to set up the reserve, and the countries hope to involve Surinam in the initiative aimed at protecting one of the Amazon’s largest ecosystems.

One approach is to develop ecotourism through a joint program with French Guiana, says Mary Alegretti, Amazonian coordinator at Brazil’s Environment Ministry.

Tumucumaque has the backing of a million dollars from the non-governmental Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF, also known as World Wildlife Fund