Bolsonaro allows use of Armed Forces against deforestation

President Jair Bolsonaro authorized the work of the Armed forces in an operation for the Guarantee of Law and Order to fight illegal deforestation and wildfires in the Legal Amazon region.

According to data from the National Institute of Spacial Studies (INPE), the number of deforestation alerts in the Legal Amazon was higher in the first months of 2020 than in the previous year. In March, for instance, the areas under alert accounted for 326.49 km², compared to 251.42 km² in the same month in 2019.

The military agents will work from May 11 to June 10 in preventive and repressive actions on border areas, indigenous lands, federal environmental conservation areas, and other federal territories in the region. The operations will be conducted in cooperation with public security agencies and environment protection institutions.

The Legal Amazon encompasses the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins, and a section of Maranhão. The presence of the Armed Forces may be extended to other areas at the request of governors.

Carried out exclusively by an express order of the president, operations for the Guarantee of Law and Order take place for a limited time in cases where traditional public security forces are exhausted.