Brazilian National Force to fight fires in Acre

Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security has granted authorization for the National Force to embark on a mission to Acre, lending support to the state government's environmental efforts. This military contingent is committed to a 90-day deployment within the state.

Despite encouraging statistics, as reported by the Deforestation Alert System (SAD) of the Amazon Institute for Mankind and the Environment (Imazon), which indicates a 35 percent reduction in deforestation in Acre from August 2022 to July 2023 compared to the same period the previous year, this form of ecological transgression still accounts for 18 percent of the total infractions within the Legal Amazon region. This geographical expanse encompasses the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins, and part of Maranhão. 

On July 5, Governor Gladson Cameli declared a state of environmental emergency in Acre, extending until December 2023. This measure seeks to mitigate forest fires during the period characterized by reduced rainfall. The decision was founded upon data from the Integrated Environmental Monitoring Center (Cigma), which tracked fire outbreaks and deforestation alerts across ten municipalities in the state.

In addition to their roles in combating forest fires and firebreaks, the deployed military personnel will also engage in "civil defense activities aimed at safeguarding the environment and providing essential services to maintain public order and ensure the safety of both individuals and property," as stated by the Ministry of Justice.