WWF urges Brazil biofuel projects

New protected areas must be created to prevent environmental damage from the expansion of Brazilian sugar cane, the Worldwide Fund for Nature has said.

The production of ethanol from sugar cane for biofuel production should have a positive impact on the environment, WWF Brazil says in a new report.

The report argues that ethanol from sugar cane is much more efficient than other biofuels.

But it adds careful planning is needed to prevent damage to local ecosystems.

Brazil's sugar industry and its government claim the country's growing ethanol industry does not suffer from the two main criticisms of biofuels - that they displace food crops and destroy ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest.

Strict rules

The WWF's report mainly backs up those claims, saying that ethanol production is not having a significant impact on food production, and that it is not contributing to deforestation in the Amazon.

But the report does warn that at a regional level, the rapid expansion of sugar cane plantations in areas such as the state of Sao Paulo could potentially cause problems such as loss of biological diversity and pressure on water resources.

To avoid this, the report argues for strict rules on where the expansion can take place, aimed at safeguarding remaining forest and savannah areas.

It calls for the setting up of a new network of protected areas in the regions where sugar cane is expanding, such as in the Cerrado or Brazilian savannah, which is considered one of the most important areas for biodiversity in the world.

At the event in Sao Paulo where the report was launched, one agricultural specialist claimed the report under-estimated the indirect impacts that ethanol expansion could have - such as displacing the production of food such as beef and soya - and adding to the pressure on the Amazon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7420770.stm

The race is on for better biofuels

Brazil is the world's largest producer of ethanol from sugarcane and has become almost entirely energy independent.

Making ethanol from sugarcane requires far less energy than from corn; the cane begins to ferment the moment the stalk is cut and there is no need to convert starch to sugar.

The distillation and fermentation process is quick and easy and the heat orenergy needed for the process is generated not by fossil fuels but by cane ethanol.

The ethanol yield per acre of sugarcane is more than twice that of corn; sugarcane can be harvested seven times a year compared to soy and corn's single yearly harvest.

And, engines that run on cane ethanol crank out more power than typical gas engines because cane ethanol burns at a higher compression. Sound perfect?

Perhaps for Brazil, but it would not be cost effective or environmentally sustainable to ship cane ethanol to other markets, and if rainforest is being leveled to plant the sugarcane, the net C02 gains vanish, (rainforest is a major digester of C02).

But with an energy balance of 1 to 8, cane ethanol has definitely taken hold of the Brazilian economy.

Greenhouse gas emissions are also lower than corn with nine pounds of CO2 per cane gallon for a 56 percent reduction of CO2 over regular gasoline, (again, if forest has not been cut to plant the sugarcane).

from an article at:

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080309/BIZ/803090330

'Ethanol production Brazil is not causing deforestation in the Amazon

'Ethanol production in Brazil is not causing deforestation in the Amazon region,- says Peter Zuurbier, Associate Professor and Director of the Wageningen UR Latin America Office. According to him, the notion that sugarcane is displacing cattle and soybean production into the Amazon is inaccurate. 'The real problem lies in illegal deforestation and lack of property rights, as around 50 percent of the Amazon region has disputed titles and this is an invitation for timber companies- he says.

In an interview with Ethanol Statistics, Mr. Zuurbier tries to explain a dynamic process between illegal activities in the Amazon rainforest and the expansion of agricultural lands towards that region. NGO's often state that sugarcane production is displacing cattle and soybean production towards and into the Amazon, burning down the area to make it suitable for agriculture and pastures.

According to Mr. Zuurbier however, the process is slightly different. 'Well organized groups and corporations with questionable land titles, but also official land owners began to chop down large acreages of forest to trade timber, both legally and illegally- he says. 'Usually, after the empty strips of land were abandoned, cattle owners would move into these cheap lands. However, after 3 to 4 years of cattle breeding, the thin soil of the Amazon is completely useless without any form of fertilization and livestock owners usually move into the next abandoned area. Soybean farmers meanwhile replace the livestock in these areas, recognizing the opportunity to fertilize the area for soybean production.-

According to Mr. Zuurbier, the cause of deforestation and agricultural production in or near the Amzone, is simply illegal deforestation itself. The fact that Brazil still has questionable land titles, no set-aside policy and great difficulty to enforce existing laws to counter illegal timber trade, are the real reasons why the Amazon rainforest is in danger according to him.

Mr. Zuurbier made his comments in an interview with Ethanol Statistics, focussed specifically on the topic of the indirect effects of ethanol production in Brazil. In the article, he also discusses the steps that have been taken already, among which are Brazil's satellite monitoring system and self-enforcing regulation large commodity traders such as Cargill and ADM.

The entire interview, titled ‘Brazilian Ethanol and the Displacement of Cattle' can be found on

http://www.ethanolstatistics.com/Expert_Opinions/Brazilian_Ethanol_and_the_Displacement_of_Cattle_210108_1.aspx