HC Deb 12 May 1999 vol 331 cc161-2W
14. Mr. Gray

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department provides for research into the Amazonian rain forest. [82963]

Clare Short

We are currently supporting ten projects in the Amazon basin with a significant research component. These cover research into ecosystems, biodiversity, silviculture, forest management, harvesting for timber and non-wood products, and environmental policy.

The ten projects are:

  • Bionte biomass and nutrient research project
  • Rain forest silviculture research project
  • Central Amazonia flora and vegetation project
  • Lake Mamiraua ecological station
  • Piper Hispidervium development project
  • G7 Pilot Program(G7PP): Science centres of excellence project
  • G7PP: Natural resources policy project
  • G7PP: Sustainable management of the varzea (flooded forests)
  • Ecology and silviculture of Swietenia macrophylla King (mahogany)
  • Integrated approach to managing Amazon forest biodiversity.

The total committed to these projects is some £22.4 million. The amount being spent on research within the projects cannot easily be disaggregated from other expenditure.