AT present, almost eighty percent of the Jaci-Paraná reserve is destroyed and it is the most damaged conservation unit in the Brazilian Amazon.
The western Brazilian state of Rondonia filed 17 lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in environmental damages in the Jaci-Paraná reserve, an area that was once a rainforest but turned into a grassland after decades of misuse.
The lawsuit was filed against Brazilian meat company JBS – the largest meat processing enterprise in the world – along with three slaughterhouses and farmers accused of illegally raising cattle in a protected area.
The damages in the reserve were estimated to reach $1 billion while the compensation sought is around $3.4 billion.
According to prosecutors, the ranchers themselves have presented evidence of the damage.
The protected reserve created by the state of Rondonia in 1995 covers more than 190,000 hectares and serves as home to lots of farmers.
The area has been subject to illegal invasions by loggers and farmers while illegal trade in cattle has been a persistent problem for years.
