Amazon 'could disappear'

2004-07-28 11:10

Brasilia - The continued devastation of the Amazon jungle threatens to transform the rain forest into vast grassland within 50 to 100 years, a Brazilian scientist warned.

Burning by loggers and farmers could convert up to 60% of the rain forest's six million square kilometres into savannahs, said Carlos Nobre, co-ordinator of the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia.

Nobre presented his findings on Tuesday in the opening session of a three-day conference of members of the Amazon environment study project.

The experiment, which began in 1998 and is expected to continue through 2006, seeks to study the interaction between the Amazon rain forest, the world's largest remaining tropical wilderness, and regional and global weather patterns. It involves more than 1 000 scientists and specialists from over 100 research institutions.

According to Nobre, close to 15% of the four million square kilometres of Amazon rain forest inside Brazil has already been destroyed.

The conference marks the third time that researchers involved in the project are meeting to present their results.

Among the research scientists plan to present are studies showing how deforestation in the Amazon affect rainfall patterns in the United States' agriculture-rich midwest.

Another study looks at how agricultural burning in the newly cleared rain forest contributes to global warming.

In recent years, the Amazon has been disappearing at a rapid clip, as soybean farmers and cattle ranchers advance farther into the jungle.

- SAPA