Brazil’s Environment Ministry Will Establish Amazon Secretariat

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Ministry of Environment (MMA) announced the establishment of the Amazon Secretariat, headquartered in Manaus, which will oversee areas such as bio-economy, fighting illegal deforestation, land regularization, payment for environmental services, among others.

“The Amazon Secretariat, headquartered in Manaus, will greatly contribute to the viability of inspection actions and the promotion of sustainable development for the entire region,” said Minister Ricardo Salles in a Twitter post, where he also reflected on an interview granted to the newspaper Valor Econômico, published on Wednesday, January 8th, in which he detailed what he expects from the new secretariat.

The goal of the federal government is to transfer part of the ministry’s employees to Manaus, in addition to hiring local staff. There is still no deadline for inaugurating this secretariat in the capital of Amazonas.

In a statement, the MMA reported on Thursday, January 9th, that the establishment of the Amazon Secretariat “is an effort to materialize the presence” of the ministry in the region.

“The goal is to implement a permanent representation in Manaus, in the heart of Amazonas, focusing on the portfolio’s main issues such as urban quality of life, and also the National Plan to Fight Illegal Deforestation which has five lines of action: land regularization, economic-ecological zoning, payment for environmental services, bio-economy and control, and inspection”.

The statement further stressed the need to recognize the forest as an economic activity, which needs to generate sustainable development and inclusion. “We understand that, in order to preserve it, it is necessary to recognize the forest as an business activity that generates sustainable development and inclusion of the population. After all, we are talking about 20 million people who live in the wealthiest region in terms of biodiversity, but with the worst Human Development Index (HDI) in the country”, he added.