Regnskog motsvarande tre Göteborg förstördes i brasilianska Amazonas under årets första fyra månader. Ett nytt alarmerande rekord i avskogning, samtidigt som pandemin nu sprider sig över kontinenten. När omgivningens fokus ligger på covid-19, har skövlarna större möjligheter än någonsin att ostört härja. Utöver detta håller EU på att ingå ett nytt handelsavtal med Mercosur-länderna (Brasilien, Argentina, Paraguay och Uruguay) som skulle förvärra situationen ytterligare genom fler avregleringar (läs mer här). Men det finns hopp! Jordens Vänner i Brasilien har skrivit under detta dokument där fem avgörande lösningar presenteras.
Amazon Forest destruction reached 10,129 km2 between August 2018 and July 2019, an
increase of 34% over the previous period. In 2020, official data point to a new high, at a
similar level. This scenario is accompanied by an increase in violence, forest fires, the
expansion of irregular mining, the growth of public land grabbing and other illegal activities,
especially invasions of indigenous lands and protected areas.
Among the reasons for this situation is the irresponsible stance adopted by the President of
Brazil, who has embraced a perverse and overtly anti-environmental and anti-indigenous
agenda, attacking the Constitution itself. As a consequence, investors and international
companies threaten to withdraw their business from Brazil, which would intensify the
current economic crisis and threaten jobs, aggravating the country’s inequality and poverty.
In the past, Brazil was able to reduce the rate of deforestation in the Amazon and, at the same
time, promote an increase in agricultural production and exports, generating jobs and
economic growth. The current government, however, does not appear to have any interest or
capability to follow this path. Its actions are based on fallacious measures and advertising
campaigns that try to mask the reality of the facts. Not even sending military forces to the
Amazon has generated effective results.
The solution to the current crisis will not come from the adoption of theatrical measures. The
organizations that subscribe this letter understand that rigorous actions are needed to face
such acute crisis. Below are five emergency lines of action that we believe should be
implemented as soon as possible*:
1. Moratorium on deforestation in the Amazon.
- Prohibition of any deforestation in the Amazon for at least five (5) years, with
exceptions made for subsistence agriculture and practices of traditional
populations, smallholder agriculture, sustainable forestry, works of public
utility and national security issues.
2. Increased penalties for environmental crimes and deforestation.
- Increase in penalties for illegal deforestation and for the actions of those who
order and finance environmental and land crimes, as well as illegal invasion and
commercialization of public lands. - Creation of a task force to suppress land crimes, especially land grabbing and
invasion of public lands. - Creation of a task force to ensure the eviction of invaders and the cessation of all
illegal activities in territories occupied by traditional peoples and communities,
mainly indigenous lands and the surrounding areas, such as land grabbing,
deforestation, theft of wood, mining, livestock and illegal mining. - Immediate freezing of assets of the country’s 100 biggest forest offenders.
- Extreme rigor in the application of the provisions of t he Environmental Crimes
Law (Law No. 9,605/1998 and Decree No. 6,514/2008), including the banning
of violators and the destruction of equipment used in the practice of
environmental crimes.
3. Immediate resumption of PPCDAm – Action Plan for Prevention and Control of
Deforestation in the Legal Amazon
- Immediate resumption of the government measures and actions provided for
in the four axes of the PPCDAm (Land and Territorial Planning; Monitoring and
Control; Promotion of Sustainable Productive Activities; Economic and
Regulatory Instruments). This resumption would need to include guaranteed
resources, targets, timetables and detailed implementation plans, with
transparent accountability and social participation.
4. Demarcation of indigenous and quilombola lands and creation, regularization
and protection of Conservation Units.
- Immediate Presidential recognition decrees for indigenous lands that have
already been demarcated. - Immediate demarcation of indigenous areas whose processes are pending
actions to be taken by the Federal Government. - Protection of all indigenous lands, regardless of their regularization stage, with
special attention to lands occupied by peoples in voluntary isolation or those
subject to recent contact. - Implementation and effective consolidation of the conservation units (such as
parks, national forests, and extractive reserves) that have already been created. - Creation of conservation units covering 10 million hectares, according to the
map of priority conservation areas, integrated management sites and new
strategic areas for the conservation of biodiversity and combating
deforestation. - Issuing of property titles to those who live in quilombola (maroon) territories.
Recognition and regularization of quilombola territories that have been subject
to claims.
5. Restructuring of Ibama, ICMBio and Funai.
- Restoring the institutional powers and authority of Ibama and ICMBio, so that
they can resume their role in the fight against deforestation and environmental
crimes. - Urgently holding competitive examinations to hire environmental agents for
Ibama and ICMBio, primarily in environmental inspection activities. - Replacement of the managers of the three agencies, who are not technically
qualified to occupy such positions, by specialized personnel. - Restitution of Funai’s institutional responsibilities, aimed at protecting and
promoting indigenous rights, mainly related to the demarcation and protection
of indigenous lands.
* These emergency measures must be implemented without prejudice to structural policies,
such as programs and projects aimed at the achievement of sustainable development, the
resumption of the activities of the Amazon Fund and of the Climate Fund, pacts with the
productive sector and the reinforcement of green investments, most of which are already
included in the PPCDAm itself.
Signed by:
1. Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil – APIB
2. Observatório do Clima
3. Coordenação Nacional de Articulação das Comunidades Negras Rurais Quilombolas –
CONAQ
4. Articulação Nacional de Agroecologia – ANA
5. Conselho Nacional de Seringueiros – CNS
6. Central Única dos Trabalhadores – CUT
7. Associação Brasileira de Organizações não Governamentais – ABONG
8. Fórum Brasileiro de ONGs e Movimentos Sociais para o Meio Ambiente e o
Desenvolvimento – FBOMS
9. Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra – MST
10. Grupo Carta de Belém
11. Rede Brasileira de Educação Ambiental – REBEA
12. Rede GTA – Grupo de Trabalho Amazônico
13. GT Infraestrutura
14. APREMAVI
15. Instituto Socioambiental – ISA
16. WWF Brasil
17. Instituto de Estudos Socioeconômicos – INESC
18. Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia – Imazon
19. Instituto de Manejo e Certificação Florestal e Agrícola – Imaflora
20. FASE – Solidariedade e Educação
21. Projeto Hospitais Saudáveis
22. Uma gota no oceano
23. SOS Amazônia
24. Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Amazônia – Idesam
25. Mater Natura
26. Engajamundo
27. APREC – Ecossistemas Costeiros
28. Climainfo
29. Instituto Democracia e Sociedade – IDS
30. Instituto Centro de Vida – ICV
31. Instituto Internacional de Educação do Brasil – IEB
32. Amigos da Terra
33. 350.org
34. Projeto Saúde e Alegria
35. BVRio
36. Grupo de Estudos em Educação e Meio Ambiente – GEEMA
37. Rede de Educadores Ambientais da Baixada de Jacarepaguá
38. Elo RJ – Rede de Mulheres Ambientalistas da América Latina
39. Comitê Chico Mendes
40. Terra de Direitos
41. Memorial Chico Mendes
42. Associação Etnoambiental Kanindé
4
43. Defensores do Planeta
44. Associação Agroecologia Tijupá
45. Argonautas Ambientalistas da Amazônia (Belém-PA)
46. Rede de Educação Ambiental e Políticas Públicas – REAPOP (Nacional)
47. Teko Porã Amazônia (Belém-PA)
48. Amazon Watch
49. Greenpeace Brasil
50. Rede de Educação Ambiental da Bahia – REABA
51. Associação Cultural APA Itacaré Serra Grande
52. Associação Alternativa Terrazul
53. Toxisphera – Associação de Saúde Ambiental
54. Associação de Defesa do Meio Ambiente de Araucária – AMAR
55. Movimento SOS Cerrado
56. Rede de Educação Ambiental do Paraná
57. International Rivers
58. Rede de Educação Ambiental da Costa Verde
59. Rede de Educação Ambiental do RJ – REARJ
60. Operação Amazônia Nativa – OPAN
61. Fundação Amazônia Sustentável – FAS
62. Grupo Ambientalista da Bahia (Gambá)