In Two Years, Bolsonaro Has Emptied Agencies that Handle Environmental, Indigenous, and Agrarian Issues
Fulfilling his campaign's indicative, the president accentuated the dismantling already started in previous administrations
Fulfilling promises and indications he gave during his 2018 electoral campaign, and throughout most of his political career, Jair Bolsonaro significantly expanded, in his first two years of government, a process of dismantling and emptying of agencies in charge of handling the environment, as well as indigenous and agrarian issues.
As a result, we have widespread paralysis, internal clashes, setbacks, a minister under constant pressure to be replaced - Ricardo Salles, in charge of the Environment - and a collection of negative figures. All of which has been causing, among other consequences, intense degradation of the country's image abroad.
In parallel to the deterioration of the infrastructure and the reduction of funds of the main inspection agency, Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), deforestation and wildfires have increased dramatically around the country.
The estimate is that over 11 thousand km2 of forests have been destroyed in the Legal Amazon from August 1, 2019, to July 31, 2020, an increase of 9.5% in relation to the previous period and the largest area since 2008 (due to the rainy periods and the drought, the level of deforestation is always measured in the 12 months between August from one year to July of the following one).
Translated by Cassy Dias