Although President Michel Temer vetoed Provisional Measures (MPs) 756 and 758, which threatened to reduce nearly 600,000 hectares of important forest protection areas in Pará and Santa Catarina, the issue returned to Congress this week, which may reject the presidential decision. Furthermore, a new bill (PL 8107/2017) was submitted yesterday to the Chamber of Deputies, under an urgent procedure, specifically addressing the reduction of 349,085 hectares of the Jamanxim National Forest (Flona) in Pará.
The analysis of the MP vetoes was included on the agenda of yesterday's plenary session, July 13, in the Chamber of Deputies. However, the matter was removed from the agenda and will be reviewed again at the next session of the House, on August 15.
MPs 756 and 758 affect, in addition to the Jamanxim National Forest, the Jamanxim National Park (Parna) (PA) and the São Joaquim National Park (SC). These areas are critical for conservation. From 2004 to 2016, the Jamanxim National Forest, for example, lost more than 117,000 hectares of forest, which led to the release of 70 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to calculations by IPAM – the Amazon Environmental Research Institute. By 2030, the deforestation of the area could result in 280,000 hectares of forest loss and 140 million tons of CO2.2 issued.
In May, the Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition publicly requested the veto of the MPs. A letter signed by the Coalition was delivered by hand to the president and several other representatives of the Brazilian government. Numerous national and international organizations and leaders spoke out against these measures., like model Gisele Bündchen, who received a response from Temer about the vetoes via Twitter.
The president had vetoed the MPs on the deadline for their enactment, on the eve of a visit to the Norwegian government, the Amazon Fund's main investor. Even so, it was not possible to reverse the image of growing deforestation in Brazil, and as a result, Norway announced a R$1.4 billion cut in its donations to the country.
The objective of PL 8107 is to replace MP 756, further increasing the area provided for in the original version of the MP, which converted part of the Jamanxim Flona into an Environmental Preservation Area (APA)., a less rigid category as it allows for the existence of private properties, agriculture and mining within it.
When announcing that President Temer would veto MPs 756 and 758, the Minister of the Environment, Sarney Filho, had already announced that a PL would be submitted to address land conflicts and illegal activities in the region, which has been the scene of numerous protests. On July 7, Ibama trucks were set on fire in an attack on the agency's inspection forces..
The socio-environmental setbacks currently underway in Congress, as proposed by these Provisional Measures and this bill, bring much more than just environmental damage. They are investments the country is losing and a significant opportunity to position itself internationally as a leader in the low-carbon economy, ignoring the important work of building regulatory frameworks, such as the Forest Code, and unprecedented tools such as the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the National System for Controlling the Origin of Forest Products (Sinaflor).
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 Brazil Coalition – coalition.com.br
