URUGUAY

Less than 9% of Uruguay is forested and of this, only 20% is classed as primary forest. Between 1990 and 2000, Uruguay reforested at an annual rate of 6%, gaining, on average 50,400 ha per year through woodland and plantation expansion. This rate slowed in the following years to 1.4%. Between 1990 and 2005 the country gained 66% of its forest cover ' over 600,000 ha. However, these figures mask the loss of 57,000 ha of primary forest in that period. Uruguay's reforestation measures have been described by UNEP as highly successful.

The government has identified more than 3.6 million ha as suitable for forestry and has declared forestry to be of national importance. 'Forestry Priority Areas' have been established and a programme of credits and fiscal incentives introduced to promote plantation projects. Approximately 80% of plantation trees are eucalyptus, intended for pulpwood production.

This development is not without its problems. There have been environmental protests over the expansion of a pulp and paper mill, and the Ministry of Agriculture suspended the operating license of a Spanish pulp company in 2008 because of unauthorised burning and logging of dozens of ha of indigenous forest. Under Uruguay's forest law, logging has to be authorised by the Ministry. The company intended to replace the primary forest with eucalyptus plantations. Local officials and environmental groups brought the companys actions to the attention of the authorities.

NEWS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
02/02/2011	The world's 10 most threatened forest hotspots As UN marks 2011 the International Year of Forests, Conservation International highlights forest ecosystems ...	Conservation International
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22/08/2008	The name of the game is (illegal) logging: ENCE cleared dozens of hectares of native bush In Uruguay, the Ministry of Agriculture suspended the proceeding filed by the Spanish company ENCE with ...	UITA, Uruguay
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07/03/2008	Police repress peasant women to protect Swedish-Finnish company Stora Ensos illegal plantations (World Rainforest Movement Press Release) Brazil - The Swedish-Finnish company, Stora Enso has purchased ...	World Rainforest Movement (Uruguay)
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16/02/2008	Latin America: Deforestation still winning Mexico City - Never before have Latin America and the Caribbean fought so hard against deforestation, ...	IPS News Agency
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04/02/2007	Finland's Botnia says relocating Uruguay pulp mill "not an option" Buenos Aires, Argentina - Finnish company Oy Metsa-Botnia AB said it will not consider moving an Uruguay ...	International Herald Tribune (France)
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23/01/2007	ICJ rejects Uruguay bid to end paper mill protest blockades by Argentines The International Court of Justice (ICJ) Tuesday denied a request by Uruguay to force Argentina to put ...	JURIST (USA)
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23/01/2007	Spanish company plans a 1.2 billion pulp mill in Colonia Spain's ENCE unveiled this week in Montevideo plans to produce a million tons of cellulose by September ...	MercoPress (Uruguay)
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19/01/2007	Uruguay and Argentina clash over pulp mills in Rio do Janeiro Uruguay and Argentina clashed over the pulp mills controversy during the Thursday meeting of the Mercosur ...	MercoPress (Uruguay)
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19/12/2006	Uruguay: Though not yet in operation, Metsa Botnia's pulp mill already smells rotten (Press Release, Guayubira Group Uruguay) It is almost certain that the Finnish public know little or ...	World Rainforest Movement Bulletin (Uruguay)
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07/12/2006	EU ratifies support for Botnia pulp mill in Uruguay The European Union praised the World Bank decision to extend a 170 million US dollars loan for the completion ...	MercoPress (Uruguay)
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17/10/2006	World Bank units to recommend pulp mills project Washington, USA - The World Bank's private-sector lender and guarantee agency said on Tuesday they ...	Reuters (UK)
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11/10/2006	Argentine activists to resume pulp mill protests Argentine environmental activists are planning to block the main road into Uruguay on Friday to protest ...	Euro2day (Greece)
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