After reactions, Environment withdraws and will maintain operations in the Amazon and Pantanal

* Updated at 10:11 pm on 8/28/20

On Friday (8/28) there were withdrawals in the federal government and shocks among environmentalists after the Ministry of the Environment announced, in the afternoon, that operations against deforestation and burning in the Amazon and the Pantanal would be suspended as of Monday (8/31) due to a block of R $ 60 million in the portfolio, by order of the Planalto economic sector.

The objectives of the cut were the Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio; block of R $ 39.7 million) and the Brazilian Institute of the Environment (Ibama; block of R $ 20.9 million), under determination, according to note. the Ministry, the Secretary of Government and the Civil House of the Presidency.

Around 8 pm, the Ministry of the Environment published an update of the note, stating that “this afternoon (Friday) an economic release of IBAMA and ICMBIO resources was carried out and, therefore, of operations to combat illegal deforestation and the fires will continue normally. “

Before the update, statements by the Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, and the vice president, Hamilton Mourão, showed the dissonance within the government itself in this regard.

Earlier in the evening, Mourão told reporters that Salles had “rushed” over the suspension of operations, and that they would continue, as the government was seeking resources to allow operations to continue in the Amazon and Pantanal. In recent months, the vice president has assumed a stronger role in the government’s environmental actions, such as the creation of the National Council of the Amazon.

After Mourão’s speech, Salles gave an interview to the newspaper O Globo in which he stated that the vice president only guaranteed the money after the ministry ruled on the blockade: “It was already blocked and now they have unblocked it. But I will not discuss with the vice president. president, I respect that a lot. They unlocked it after the note (from the ministry). “

Between the comings and goings of the Planalto, environmentalists and politicians heard by BBC News Brazil expressed great concern about the announcement, which would have the potential to generate a worldwide repercussion. And, in addition, the interviewees pointed out how the blockade demonstrated the government’s disorganization in the environmental area, both in terms of the budget and the agenda.

The announcement of the outage by MMA came at a critical time for both biomes. According to satellite data from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), this year there was a 34% increase in deforestation in the Amazon (comparing the period from August 2018 to July 2019, versus August 2019 to July 2020).

Also according to Inpe data, in the Pantanal, between the beginning of January and August 12 of this year, there was a 242% increase in the number of fires compared to the same period of the previous year. From January to July this year, 4,218 fires were recorded throughout the Pantanal. In the same months of 2019, there were 1,475 registrations.

“It seems to me that the announcement reflects a really difficult budget situation for many years, and in particular this due to covid-19. This budget is not available for inspection actions and MMA wants, in some way, exempted from the relative inefficiency of fighting fires and deforestation. It’s like getting rid of the responsibility and putting the responsibility in the budget area of ​​the federal government, “climatologist Carlos Nobre, former president of the Brazilian Panel on Climate Change, told BBC News Brazil.

Suely Araújo, senior expert in public policy at the Climate Observatory and former president of Ibama, said the announcement seemed “a theater to once militarize the inspection in the Amazon and, at the same time, use the budget as a false excuse to exempt itself from responsibility”. by the explosion of deforestation and fires ”.

“The blocked resources are too small to make a difference in the government’s cash. If you have money for GLO (Operations for the Guarantee of Law and Order, carried out by the Armed Forces), which costs R $ 60 million per month and gives little results , they can financially ensure the operation of Ibama and ICMBio ”, he evaluates.

“Ibama has only spent 25% of the resources it had for the inspection so far. The municipality has money to pay the helicopter and truck rental contracts for the Profisc 1-B project of the Amazon Fund, it does not need authorization from the Farm , It only still has R $ 62.9 million in financing from the Amazon Fund to use until April 2021. Ibama also has available resources from the R $ 50 million that entered into the STF’s decision on Lava-Jato, to be applied in the inspection, deforestation and fire fighting. Of that total, it has only used R $ 13.7 million so far “.

The NGO WWF-Brazil also published a note in which it highlights that there are funds planned for Ibama that have not been implemented.

“A fact that draws attention is that Ibama spent until July 30, only 19% of the budgetary resources for this year planned for the prevention and control of forest fires.”

“(The announcement) reinforces the message that the federal government has issued that the crime will not be punished and, therefore, it is worth it,” the note concludes.

Agronomist Luis Fernando Guedes Pinto, from the Forest and Agricultural Certification and Management Institute (Imaflora), also considered that the announcement contradicts recent government commitments in the environmental area.

“It is a great contradiction. The Ministry of the Environment creates a new structure, a secretariat for the Amazon, a climate change area, but it does not execute the budget of Ibama; it invests a lot of money in military operations; and what we find is an increase in deforestation “.

• Burns in the Amazon are linked to more than 2,000 hospitalizations in 2019, according to report
• From charred animals to ‘underground’ fire: the routine of the brigadistas in the biggest fire in decades in the Pantanal

The president of the Environmental Parliamentary Front, Rodrigo Agostinho (PSB-SP) said that the announcement could even constitute a crime under the responsibility of representatives of the federal government.

“It is a total lack of sensitivity on the part of the Ministry of Economy and a total inability (on the part of the Ministry of Environment) to publicize a note like this,” evaluated the deputy, saying that the government should have tried before to reallocate funds within budget, ensuring financial support for operations.

“It is a scandal with an international dimension, for me it represents a crime of responsibility.”

“The fight against deforestation was already being carried out in a precarious way, far below what was necessary,” added the parliamentarian.

The director of the SOS Pantanal Institute, Felipe Dias says that the brigadistas and planes of federal agencies are fundamental to fight fires in the Midwest biome, which usually occur at this time of year, but which in 2020 are even more worrying.

The Ministry note announced the interruption of activities in which 1,346 members of the brigades and 4 helicopters used in the extinction of fires by Ibama participated throughout the country; in addition to 459 brigadiers and 10 ICMBio Air Tractor aircraft.

Dias explains that, unlike the Amazon, most of the Pantanal area is occupied by private properties, so the use of illegal fires for deforestation purposes is not as common. But this year, the biome is experiencing a “critical climate event”

“The brigadistas usually act between July, August and September, when there is a greater risk of fire. This year, however, February has already started high (in fires). We are experiencing critical climate change, with low flooding (of water courses) as only happened 47 years ago, and changes in rainfall. In that year, the places that should have water are with cracked soil ”, he says, pointing out that little rain, high temperatures and dry vegetation combine so that the fire, which can even occur naturally in the Pantanal, gets out of control this year .

“Within the contingency, limitation of human resources, equipment and machinery, fire fighting operations are quite efficient. The brigadistas are highly trained for this role and do an extremely important job. They are to be applauded, it is a very difficult job (fire fighting) and their action is truly impressive. “

• Click to subscribe to the BBC News Brasil YouTube channel

Have you seen our new videos on Youtube? Subscribe to our channel!