July 24, 2021

10:07

Marcela Leiros – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Going against the federal government’s environmental management profile, there is a state apparatus which is articulating itself to fight the high rates of deforestation and fires. CENARIUM contacted the Environment Secretaries of the States of the Brazil’s Legal Amazon that registered high rates of deforestation in the first five months this year and brings, firsthand, what is being organized to fight the predictable increase in environmental crimes.

Amazonas

According to the Institute of Man and Environment of the Amazon (Imazon), Amazonas was the most deforested state in April of this year, with 217 square kilometers lost. On June 15, Governor Wilson Lima declared an environmental emergency situation in the metropolitan region of Manaus and in the municipalities of the southern region of the state. Decree number 44,039 considers the increases in deforestation rates, even in the Covid-19 pandemic, and the approaching of the dry season.

A survey released by the Amazonas State Department of Environment (Sema), with numbers calculated from January 1st to June 4th of this year, shows that the most deforested municipalities in the state are in the region known as the “arc of deforestation”, near the border with Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Acre and Pará. Lábrea lost, in this period, 197.83 square kilometers, Apuí lost 160.25 square kilometers, Novo Aripuanã had 81.61 square kilometers deforested and Humaitá lost 73.72 square kilometers.

“With the increase in illegal economic activity, the State loses income and the possibility of stimulating a forest economy, of environmental resources,” Eduardo Taveira, Secretary of the Environment of Amazonas.

The expression “arc of deforestation” delimits a region composed of 256 municipalities where destruction is historically concentrated and where many public policies are directed. It is a territory that goes from the west of Maranhão and the south of Pará towards the west, passing through Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Acre. However, in the south of Amazonas, something that specialists call “Rondonization” has been happening, a reference to the growing deforestation caused by land grabbing, which has always been a characteristic of the state of Rondonia.

According to the secretary of Sema, Eduardo Taveira, the numbers registered in Amazonas are troubling and have skyrocketed, especially in municipalities within the “arc of deforestation”, which, due to its location, makes it even more difficult to combat and supervise environmental crimes. Taveira also explained that the increase in illegal activities affects, besides the environment, the economy of the state.

“Access is extremely difficult, even more so in these border areas. Many times, our team has to fly to Brasília and back to Rondônia, to be able to access the areas. And there are still two economic losses: with the increase in illegal economic activity, the state loses income, loses the possibility of stimulating a forest economy, of environmental resources, and still doesn’t solve the problem of poverty that is very persistent in our state,” the secretary pointed out.

Investments

To combat environmental crimes in the state, Sema, together with the Amazon Environmental Protection Institute (Ipaam), has intensified its presence in the locations most threatened by deforestation, as well as acquired remote sensing and monitoring technology to issue notices of violation, embargoes, and even bring criminal charges. The State relies, mainly, on international investments to support the environmental programs and actions.

“The Amazonas Mais Verde program was launched last year by the state government, with resources of approximately R$30 million, to perform an integrated action together with the Secretaries of Rural Production, Cities and Territories, and also the Secretary of Environment of Manaus and Ipaam. In June, the governor launched a program of R$ 11 million with resources from the German bank KFW to increase the structure and physical presence in these municipalities”, reminded Taveira.

For the small producers who live, mainly, in the areas threatened by the growing deforestation, the government has also developed projects that create alternatives for the sustainable production and exploration of these regions.

“We are regulating our environmental services law to work with the issue related to carbon credits and environmental services payments, so that the standing forest can be a concrete alternative for the generation of income for both traditional populations, who are inside the Conservation Units (UC), and also models that can benefit producers who have legal reserve surplus, such as the federal government’s Floresta Mais project”, pointed out Taveira.

The government of Amazonas also studies to advance in the forest concession of state forests and sustainable forest management. The use of tourism, especially bird watching and sport fishing, in the Conservation Units, are ways to attract tourists. There are also investments related to the management of pirarucu, alligators and chelonians within the Conservation Units.

Pará

Pará is the state in the Legal Amazon that most times led the deforestation ranking in the CENARIUM survey. In the first five months of the year, it was at the top of the list three times, in February, March and May. The municipalities with the highest deforestation rates are also located in the State of Pará: Altamira, with 250.80 square kilometers lost, and Novo Progresso, with 226.96 square kilometers lost.

The Secretary of Environment and Sustainability of Pará, Mauro O’de Almeida, pointed out that it is necessary to contain deforestation by offering economic alternatives. “So, in a way, when you prevent deforestation or offer economic alternatives to people, you are preparing for the economic impacts of climate change,” said the secretary.

The secretary also said that Pará and the other states of the Brazil’s Legal Amazon articulate actions and discuss what can be done to combat deforestation. “At the moment, we have been doing imaging practices and exchanging information, but the most important thing is the support of the federal government. We are expecting a new, leaner GLO, aimed at the municipalities that deforest the most, so that we can achieve greater efficiency in combating deforestation,” said the secretary.

As for the actions and programs undertaken in the state, Mauro detailed the improvement in the inspection structure of the secretariat, such as the increase in the number of inspectors by 1000%, from 10 agents to 100. The State Force for Combating Deforestation was also created, one of the four pillars of the “Amazon Now” macro-strategy, created to develop initiatives that reduce the illegal deforestation rates in Pará.

In the productive chain of sustainable development in the state, the Sustainable Territories program was created to encourage productive chains, efficiency in livestock farming and agriculture, as well as the opening of credits for those who regularize from the environmental point of view. Also created were the Oriental Amazon Fund, an environmental financing strategy based on private collaborations, and the Regulariza Pará, aimed at environmental and land title regularization.

The report also tried to contact the secretaries of Rondônia and Mato Grosso, who did not respond to the request for an interview.