Brazil creates commission to slash deforestation to zero by 2030
Stopping deforestation across all Brazilian biomes by 2030 is the goal of the new Permanent Interministerial Commission for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Burning in Brazil—PPCD in the original Portuguese acronym. The group held its first meeting Wednesday (Feb. 8) and also aims to slash greenhouse gas emissions and bring income and quality of life to those with forest-based livelihoods.
“President Lula has aimed to end deforestation by 2030, and he plans to do it by combating illegal activities, supporting sustainable productive activities, investing in the bio-economy, low carbon, sustainable development, science, technology, and innovation, so that Brazil can fight the atrocities we are now witnessing in the Yanomami indigenous territory—and we know that they also assail the Caiapós, Mundurucus, and other indigenous peoples,” said Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva.
Having made plans covering the next seven years, the minister avoided setting a goal for deforestation already in the first year of government. Part of the devastation, she argued, was brought about by a period devoid of environmental policies.
“Over 6 thousand square kilometers is the size of the deforestation from the other administration, from [former] President Bolsonaro’s government. From January 2023 onward, it’s our responsibility. It’s a rate that’s been rising since the previous government and we’ll do what we can to bring this curve down,” she vowed.
Defined in the first meeting were the program’s biome-based phase division and the deadlines for each action plan, including the Amazon, the Cerrado, the Pantanal, the Caatinga, the Atlantic Forest, and the Pampa. All strategies should be in progress across all sectors by August.
The commission will coordinate efforts from 19 ministries and will be chaired by the president’s Chief of Staff Ruy Costa.
The Yanomami
Regarding the Yanomami, Minister Silva said the government is working to prevent the return of illegal mining in the country by creating fixed posts in vulnerable locations. The government must make itself present, the minister declared.
“We’re now thoroughly removing the intruders. This time it’s not seasonal, with miners having their equipment confiscated or destroyed, leaving for some time, hiding in the forest, and then coming back,” she said.
“[Brazil’s environmental protection agency] Ibama, alongside the Federal Police, the Defense Ministry, and [national indigenous authority] Funai, is now setting up permanent posts to keep [miners] from returning. We’re taking structured measures so that they don’t leave the Yanomami territory to lodge in equally vulnerable areas. That’s a difficult and complex task,” she added.
