Deforestation Driver Seen Profit Rather Than Poverty at Center
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Global deforestation is now spurred mainly by industrial agriculture, rather than subsistence-level farming, the Center for International Forestry Research said, citing Rhett Butler, the founder of environmental-news website Mongabay.com.
The shift toward profit and regional or international markets as a driver, rather than poverty and local needs, creates opportunities for conservation because some of the companies involved are sensitive to environmental campaigns, the center said in a blog on its website. Cattle ranching is one of the biggest spurs for deforestation in the Amazon, it said.