Ecobreves – BRAZIL: International Tribunal for the Amazon

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 4 2008 (IPS) - The president of Brazil's lawyer association, Cezar Britto, proposed the creation of a tribunal to try crimes against the Amazon, with the participation of all countries that are part of the Amazon Basin. The idea is to be discussed at an international congress intended to take place this year, and comes in response to the high rate of deforestation recorded in recent months.

The National Institute of Space Research announced Jan. 23 that after three years of decline, the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon saw a sharp increase in the August-December period, leading to a forecast of a 30 percent increase for the year ending in July.

To fight the devastation, “the best is to unite the countries of the region in joint action, with our shared problems and solutions,” Britto told Tierramérica.