The creation of the Chandless State Park halts the advance of deforestation in Acre

The creation of new protected areas will be celebrated today at the World Parks Conference in Durban, South Africa. Last Friday, the Governor of Acre, Jorge Viana, signed documents creating the Chandless State Park with a total area of 695,000 hectares - and three state production forests with a total area of 482,000 hectares - in a ceremony to mark Amazonia Day. Mahogany, ipe and cedar trees were planted by Viana, Luis Menezes, the co-ordinator of WWF-Brazil's Amazonia Campaign and Garo Batmanian, president of FSC-Brazil.

"The new state production forests constitute a new policy for public areas.. The public forests permit private capital to have access to forest products in a sustainable way whilst guaranteeing that the society of Acre benefits from the forest concession through the collection of taxes", said Luis Menezes. The state mahogany forest will reprodue the sustainable management system pioneered at Acre Brasil Verde/AFG Neto's 1,000 hectare area.

Located in the bamboo forests of the south of Amazonas, the Chandless State Park is "one of the last sanctuaries for wildlife in Acre" and is "a priority area for nature conservation", said Luis Menezes, who added that the region has been under assault from illegal loggers and commercial fishermen. The area will now be protected by state law.