Download Report - Independent Evaluation Group - World Bank

PART I: THE FORESTS AND
FOREST SECTOR IN BRAZIL
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How Much Forest Is There?
Brazil is richly endowed with forest resources. Forests cover more
than 65 percent (5.51 million km 2 ) of the country’s total land area of
8.5 million square kilometers. This vast resource accounts for 59.8 percent
of the forests of tropical South America and 26.6 percent of the
world’s tropical forests. 4 About 90 percent of the country’s remaining
forest cover is in the Amazon and the cerrado (World Bank 1994a), a
broad savanna in central Brazil where much of the agricultural development
of the past decade has taken place. The rest of the country’s
forest resources are located in several areas. Stretching along Brazil’s
Atlantic coast are the remains of the Atlantic Forest, as well as coastal
restinga and mangrove vegetation. Behind portions of the Atlantic Forest
are deciduous seasonal forests, and in northeastern Brazil lies the
semi-arid caatinga. In addition to these natural resources, Brazil has
about 55,000 km 2 of plantation forest.
The Amazon
The Legal Amazon has an area of 5 million square kilometers. 5 About
75 percent of that area is under forest, representing a commercial stock
of 60 billion cubic meters (Kaufman et al. 1990). About 87 percent of
the Amazon’s original forest cover is thought to remain, though estimates
vary. Savannas and natural grasslands occupy about 14 percent
of the territory, while some 13 percent has been deforested for cattle
pasture and agricultural pursuits (Alves and Escada 1999; Fearnside
and Ferraz 1995). The Amazon’s forests are endowed with vast timber
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