Greenpeace slates land sale

2005-03-10 14:16

Brasilia - The environmental group Greenpeace on Wednesday denounced the internet-posted sale of millions of hectares of public land in the Amazon rainforest.

According to Greenpeace, at least seven websites are offering a total of 11 million, an area the size of Belgium. The land is estimated to be worth 900 million reals ($300m).

"We don't know who is buying it ... but if someone is offering the land, it's not because it's a bad deal," said Nilo D'Avila, of Greenpeace's Amazon campaign.

Most of the sites claim the land comes with legal certificates. But D'Avila said the papers are simply a request that Brazilian authorities grant the buyer title to the land.

The certificates are often treated like land titles in the Amazon, where land ownership is often unclear. The government has often tried to distribute Amazon land over the years, mostly on condition that settlers develop the land for agriculture.

Because few of these conditions have been met, the land's ownership is supposed to revert to the government. But authorities have done little to reclaim the property or cancel previous titles.

"Loggers, cattle ranchers and land speculators frequently forge titles to take possession of public property," Greenpeace said in a statement.

Dispute over land ownership in the Amazon was blamed for the recent death of American nun Dorothy Stang. She was shot to death on February 12, allegedly on the orders of a rancher who wanted to log an area that she was trying to preserve for poor settlers.

The Amazon rainforest covers more than half of Brazil. An estimated 20% has been destroyed in the past 30 years.

- AP