In their Policy Forum “National forests in the Amazon” (30 Aug., p. 1478), A. Veríssimo et al. seem assured that a new system of national forests will solve the problems of uncontrolled forest exploitation in the Brazilian Amazon. Unfortunately, we are far less optimistic.
The potential role of responsible forestry in REDD
If properly designed, REDD could tip the balance towards responsible, certified logging, thus squeezing out illegal operations. Responsible forestry should be coupled with measures to reduce the flow and irresponsibly harvested timber into consumer markets.