Almost all of the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest The president's promise is also illegal Brazil Environmental protection organizations concluded in a report they released that the goal of eliminating this scourge is not particularly realistic.
The report, the result of research conducted by academics and experts from environmental protection organizations, including the Brazilian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), emphasizes that 94% regarding the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the «Matupiba» region, which includes parts of the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia, is illegal.
After he took power, the Jaix Bolsonaro, in 2019, tropical deforestation reached its peak: in the twelve months leading up to August 2020, deforestation in the Amazon increased by 9.5%, destroying an area larger than the entire country of Jamaica, according to official data.
This situation is mainly due to a lack of transparency and the authorities’ inability to document, for example, the lawful use of these lands by farmers, ranchers, and loggers, the report emphasizes.
The far-right president is facing intense international pressure to change his policy on the issue of environmental protection. His country’s agri-food industry, which includes major meat and soybean exporters, is concerned about the consequences of this pressure.
Despite Jair Bolsonaro’s promise to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030—a goal the report’s authors describe as unrealistic— the House of Representatives approved a bill that relaxes environmental protection requirements for agricultural operations and the energy sector.
This bill, which has yet to be approved by the Senate, provides, in particular, that a simple promise to comply with environmental protection regulations will be sufficient to begin road construction or power line installation projects.
