Federal government to focus deforestation efforts on 11 critical municipalities – Brazil’s VP Mourão

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Vice-President Hamilton Mourão said on Wednesday, February 10th, that 70% of environmental crimes in the Amazon region occur in 11 municipalities, located in four states, and that these will be the government’s priority areas for inspection in the region after the Armed Forces’ military operations are completed on April 30th.

Mourão addressed the operations in an interview after chairing a National Amazon Council meeting. The Vice-President heads the entity, re-designed a year ago by President Jair Bolsonaro in an attempt to tackle criticism of his environmental policy both in Brazil and abroad.

Mourão presented the ‘Plano Amazônia 21/21’ (Amazon Plan 21/21) at the meeting, intended to succeed ‘Operação Verde Brasil 2’ (Operation Green Brazil 2), conducted by the military.

Inspection will again be primarily conducted by civilian bodies such as the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). Given that these agencies have smaller teams than those of the Armed Forces, activities will be coordinated.

“We’ve found that 70% of deforestation, or environmental crimes, occur in 11 municipalities,” said Mourão. According to the advisory notice, the 11 municipalities are as follows:

Pará – Itaituba, Rurópolis, Portel, Pacajá, São Félix do Xingu, Altamira, and Novo Progresso
Amazonas – Apuí and Lábrea
Rondônia – Porto Velho
Mato Grosso – Colniza

“These 11 municipalities have been listed as priority areas, as by focusing our efforts in the region we will be able to achieve a significant reduction in environmental crimes,” Mourão added.

According to the Vice-President, the government intends to include in the project the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), and police forces, in addition to environmental agencies.

The Vice-President stated that the Ministries of Environment, Justice and Agriculture will assess temporary hires to bolster agencies working to protect the Amazon. Any potential new hires would need to be approved by the Ministry of Economy.

“Their main function would be to work in the administrative area, thereby freeing people trained to work in the operational area,” explained Mourão.

The Vice-President also said that the government is studying ways to accept donations from countries interested in financing the forest’s preservation.

Mourão explained that between April 15th and 30th, the Armed Forces and civilian agencies will work together in the Amazon in a transition period leading to the completion of Operação Verde Brasil 2.

The operation was authorized by a Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO) decree signed by Bolsonaro, which allowed the deployment of the military in actions to fight environmental crimes in the Amazon. The GLO has been prolonged three times and ends on April 30th.

With respect to a possible extension, Mourão said that should it be needed, a proposal will be submitted to Bolsonaro for consideration. However, the Vice-President stressed that the country is faced with fiscal challenges and is looking for funding to enable the reinstatement of emergency aid, for instance.

He said that the operation cost between R$400 million and R$410 million, so, “it is not an extremely expensive operation”.

He added that between June 2020 and January 31st 2021, there was a 19% reduction in deforestation in the Amazon. The government’s goal is to eradicate illegal deforestation by 2030. “Our goal is as established in the Paris Agreement, that by 2030 there will be no more illegal deforestation”, he said.

Source: G1