January 11, 2022

11:01

Victória Sales – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Publication of the Social Progress Index (IPS) of the 772 municipalities of the Legal Amazon shows that with the increase of deforestation, low development and poor living conditions gained the new highlight. According to the study, coordinated by the Institute of Man and Environment of the Amazon (Imazon), the places that deforest the most present a worse scenario, besides having the average of 16% being lower than the national average.

Imazon leads the publication, in Brazil, of the IPS for the municipalities of the Legal Amazon and, last year, it reached its third edition and was analyzed by 45 professionals in health, housing, education, environment and others. The studied index has international knowledge, as it analyzed social and environmental conditions of countries, states and municipalities.

till according to the study, in 2021, deforestation is detrimental to social development. The 20 municipalities that presented destroyed forest areas in at least three years presented IPS of 52.38 with 21% of Brazil’s index. Among the municipalities that are in the lead in deforestation, the most devastated place is the municipality of Pacajá, in Pará, with the lowest IPS and the second worst in the Amazon.

Other six municipalities that make up the list of the largest deforesters also managed to reach 50 points in the IPS, among them are: Portel (PA), Apuí (AM), Senador José Porfírio (PA), Novo Repartimento (PA), Uruará (PA) and Anapu (PA). The two leading municipalities in the deforestation ranking, Altamira and São Félix do Xingu, both from the State of Pará, had IPS of 52.95 and 52.94, respectively, also below the Legal Amazon and Brazilian averages.

Another information regarding deforestation and social progress is that approximately 15 municipalities with the worst IPS are associated with forest destruction, such as illegal mining, illegal logging, besides social conflicts, such as Jacareacanga, Nova Ipixuna, Nova Conceição do Piriá and Pau D’Arco, all in Pará. According to the co-founder of Imazon and one of the representatives of the study, Beto Veríssimo, “IPS attests, once again, that deforestation has only generated poverty, social conflicts and inhibited the economic development of the Amazon”.

Compared to the last year when the IPS was carried out, the index went from 54.64 to 54.59. And among the 772 municipalities studied, almost half of them showed a reduction in the index and another 21% showed stability compared to the last year of the study. Veríssimo also says that “the Amazon faces a perfect storm of problems: destruction of its natural heritage by deforestation, low social progress, and economic underdevelopment”.

In relation to the nine states of the Legal Amazon, only three surpass the region’s GST, they are: Mato Grosso, with 57.94, Rondônia with 57.20 and Amapá with 54.96. With the history of the state that deforests the most, Pará was the one that presented the second worst index with 52.94, second only to Roraima, with 52.37.