GEO Brasil - UNEP

as propellants for their aerosol systems. The only use of
CFCs that still allowed in the country is that for medical
purposes, such as in asthma pumps, in which case it is
difficult to find a substitute for CFC.
As Brazil has been one of the signatories of the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification since 1994,
it has been implementing several actions under the Ministry
of the Environment’s leadership. Highlights include:
a) The construction of a legal base, that approved and
sanctioned the convention which defines the National
Desertification Control Policy; which strengthens
institutions for action within the theme, incorporate
coordination, financial resources and trained personnel
provisions, in addition to the creation of a
Desertification Information and Documentation
Network – REDESERT and of PNCD’s Consulting
Group;
b) Performance of basic studies, specially desertification
susceptible area environmental diagnosis and the
production of manuals and monitoring proposals for
the desertification process and for the self-sustained
development of the Semi-Arid region, focusing on
emergency actions. However, it was not until the
completion of the National Desertification Combat
Plan, elaborated by the Ministry of the Environment,
that the Brazilian commitments before UNCCD were
clearly outlined. To that extent, the basic diagnostics
have already been issued, including desertification
susceptibility maps, annual losses and estimates for
amounts to be invested.
4.2.2. Response of the Agrarian Reform Policies and
Actions
Thus, the Brazilian government, still in the second half of
1999, took some new measures unheard of at the time public
registry. For Rural real estate that equalled or surpassed
10,000 hectares in area was cancelled until property regularity
was proved in addition to other demands,. This measure
was reviewed in 2001 and extended to include properties
ranging from 5,000 to 9,999 hectares in Agrarian Reform
interest areas, notifying occupants of approximately 3.0
million hectares, always with the goal of inhibiting illegal
land possession.
This government directive led to the enacting of Law n o
10,267, of August 28 th , 2001, which mandated the information
exchange between INCRA and real estate registration
services, creating the National Rural Information Census –
CNIR. This regulation shall enable cross-referencing
information from the various governmental agencies that
retain information on the rural environment, such as: INCRA,
Federal Reserve Secretariat – SRF, Brazilian Environmental
Institute – IBAMA National Indians Foundation – FUNAI,
The Union’s Wealth Secretariat – SPU, among other rural
environment information producing national and state
agencies.
As far as the environmental issue is concerned, INCRA and
IBAMA have been promoting actions that target the
fulfilment of rural real estate social function which
encompasses natural resources conservation among other
things. One of the actions to be mentioned was the recent
designation of areas for the creation of conservation units,
making up a 20,436,599 ha area. Other aspects concern fire
preventative actions in settlement projects in critical states
and counties, as well as a reduction of the number of
expropriated hectares for rural settlements in the Legal
Amazon.
policies feedback
The Government has established policies and measures on
several fronts in an effort to promote changes in the land
related national scenario. Better land distribution will follow.
Towards this end, programmes have been implemented
that range from combat to irregular occupation of land,
specially in the North and Mid West land states to the
implementation of actions targeting natural resources
conservation in INCRA’s settlement projects, coupled with
broader interaction with the country’s environmental
programmes.
An important line in the policies and measures implemented
in the rural area is that of the Land’ Bank (Banco da Terra),
which is an alternative for land acquisition by new farmers’
families, by means approved projects of local or regional
sustainable agrarian development councils and of the Family
Agriculture Strengthening programmeme – PRONAF, which
sets credit lines for small family farmers.
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