Statement from the Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition on the extinction of the National Copper Reserve and its Associates (RENCA):
Government insists on extinguishing mineral reserve without dialogue with society and without an impact study
São Paulo, August 29, 2017 – The Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition condemns the closure of the National Copper Reserve and its Associates (RENCA), carried out by presidential decree on August 28. Even though this decree replaces the previous one, which was intended to detail how environmental preservation will be carried out in the region, this measure has once again been announced without first being submitted to a dialogue with society. The Brazil Coalition believes that, without listening to the different parties involved, the Government will not be able to develop an adequate plan to guarantee the preservation of protected areas in the region, especially without conducting a socio-environmental study on the impact of the closure of the reserve.
This measure is in addition to other actions by the Government and Congress that run counter to the development of a low-carbon economy, with the creation of quality jobs, the stimulation of innovation, Brazil's global competitiveness and the generation and distribution of wealth to the entire society. This decision, on the contrary, worsens the national scenario of socio-environmental setbacks.
The threat to forest protection has already been highlighted as worrying by the Brazil Coalition, in the case of legislative proposals for the reduction of Conservation Units (UC) and, specifically, in the case of Provisional Measures 756 and 758, actions that could result in an increase in deforestation in the country and that, unfortunately, have returned to the Congressional agenda in the form of a bill (PL nº. 8.107/2017). Even if the current decree does not change the rules of the nine environmental protection areas present in RENCA, authorizing mining activity will result in drastic changes in the dynamics of occupation of the region, bringing great risks to the maintenance of these areas and their ecosystems. One of the areas that could suffer from the extinction of RENCA is the Tumucumaque Mountains National Park, the largest national park in Brazil and the largest in tropical forests in the world.
Currently, only 0.31% of the RENCA forest area has been deforested, according to PRODES data. According to IPAM calculations, this percentage is expected to increase to 5%, even if the protection of environmental areas is not changed, or even reach 31%, if these protected areas lose their effectiveness in containing the pressure of deforestation, which may be caused by the multiplication of legal and illegal mining, mainly in the area of the Paru State Forest (figures 1 and 2).
Figure 1. 5% increase in deforestation in the RENCA forest area, even with the maintenance of environmental protection areas.
Figure 2. Increase of 31% in deforestation in the RENCA forest area, if protected areas lose their effectiveness in containing deforestation pressure
Combating deforestation and protecting forests are essential conditions for the functioning of agribusiness, given the influence of forests on rainfall patterns, biodiversity in crop pollination and temperature variations, especially in the Amazon region. Preservation, especially in a world under climate threat, is also key to Brazil being able to fulfill the commitment made in the Paris Agreement, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, including those resulting from deforestation.
The role of protected areas in combating deforestation has historically been fundamental. According to a study by IPAM, the creation of 24 million hectares of areas of full protection or sustainable use contributed decisively to the reduction in deforestation observed between 2005 and 2008.
The decree to extinguish RENCA goes against this history and is seen by the Brazilian Coalition as part of a series of socio-environmental setbacks. More than just confronting these setbacks, it is equally essential to urgently strengthen the implementation of the Forest Code, combating attempts such as extending the deadline for registration in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR).
The extinction of the mineral reserve also adds to the risks present in the process of reviewing the regulatory framework for environmental licensing, currently underway in Congress, which could change environmental rules for the mining sector. The Brazil Coalition listed principles and guidelines that need to be guaranteed in the review of this law to stimulate economic activity in line with the preservation of socio-environmental assets.
Therefore, the Brazil Coalition demands an end to the national scenario of socio-environmental setbacks, which has threatened public interest agendas, such as environmental protection and the implementation of the Forest Code, and requests the revocation of the decree until a formal process of discussion and consultation on the extinction of this reserve is carried out.
About the Brazil Coalition
The Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition is a multi-sector movement that was formed with the objective of proposing actions and influencing public policies that lead to the development of a low-carbon economy, with the creation of quality jobs, the stimulation of innovation, the global competitiveness of Brazil and the generation and distribution of wealth to the entire society. More than 150 companies, business associations, research centers and civil society organizations have already joined the Coalition. Brazil Coalition.
