The Brazilian government has pledged to reinstate a mining ban in an Amazonian nature reserve, reversing its earlier course after an international outcry. Greenpeace says several illegal mines are active in the area.
Image: Kate Evans / Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
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President Michel Temer will restore protective measures for the reserve in a decree on Tuesday, the Ministry of Mines and Energy said.
In August, Brazil's government announced a decision to allow mining in Renca, an Amazonian nature reserve that covers an area slightly larger than Denmark. The resource-rich Renca is a home to three indigenous tribes and includes a section of the world's largest rainforest.
Brazilian officials argued that allowing mining would boost the local economy and allow oversight, in contrast to current wildcat mining operations. Authorities also claimed that opening the area for mining would not affect other legal measures protecting the environment and the native population.
While the government quickly decided to suspend and eventually reverse the decision, officials said Monday that the decision would need to be revisited after a wider debate.
Marcio Astrini, a public policy coordinator for Greenpeace Brazil, said Monday's announcement showed no leader is "absolutely immune" to pressure.
"It is a victory of society over those who want to destroy and sell our forest," he said. "Renca is just a battle. The war against the Amazon and its different peoples, promoted by Temer and big agribusiness, is still on."
Fighting illegal logging in the Amazon
The Amazon rainforest absorbs about 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. Agents at the Brazilian environment institute are trying to protect the green lungs of the Earth - but money shortages threaten their work.
Image: Reuters/U. Marcelino
Green lungs
Tropical rainforest in the Amazon covers almost twice as much land as India. Three-quarters of it is located in Brazil. These green lungs of the Earth are threatened by illegal logging and mining.
Image: Reuters/U. Marcelino
Caught red-handed
Together with the military police, agents of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) hunt for illegal loggers, trying to catch them in action. In this photo, an IBAMA agent is targeting a logging truck.
Image: Reuters/U. Marcelino
Direct hit
IBAMA goes head-on against illegal loggers. Whoever is caught feels the iron fist of the authorities - like those above, near the city of Novo Progresso in the state of Pará. The wood was burned on site - together with the trucks.
Image: Reuters/U. Marcelino
Dangerous work
The forest protection work carries high risk, as many illegal loggers are armed. In June, a policeman was shot dead.
Image: Reuters/U. Marcelino
Hard-won success
In this case, IBAMA agents were successful. But such success is becoming less frequent. The economic crisis has also affected the environmental agency, and its funding has been reduced by about a third over recent years.
Image: Reuters/U. Marcelino
Poor equipment
The loss of funding has consequences: "The loggers are better equipped than us," said Uiratan Barroso, representative of the state of Para. "As long as we lack money for unmarked vehicles and acceptable radios, we cannot carry out our work properly."
Image: Reuters/U. Marcelino
Failures showing
From 2004 and 2012, the rate of deforestation in the Amazon decreased by 80 percent. But over the last four years, it has increased by 35 percent. In 2015, a forest area four times larger than Los Angeles was cleared.
Image: Reuters/U. Marcelino
Support from Germany and Norway
The Brazilian government admits that IBAMA is poorly equipped to carry out its tasks. The Amazon Fund, aimed at raising donations to combat deforestation, will provide 56 million reais (around 15 million euros) to help improve the situation. The money is coming mainly from Germany and Norway.
