The federal government signed on Tuesday (9) a program for which it hopes to raise R$3.2 billion (US$ 590 million) per year from the national private initiative for the preservation of parks in environmental reserves in the Amazon. The project had been unofficially announced - and even used politically - in July 2020.
The decree creating the program was signed by President Jair Bolsonaro (no party) in a ceremony at the Planalto Palace, without the presence of the Vice President of the Republic, Hamilton Mourão (PRTB), President of the Council of the Amazon. It was the second event of the day in which Mourão did not participate.
In September 2020, Salles used the program, which formally did not yet exist, to try to undermine actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who criticized Bolsonaro's environmental policy and posted "#AmazonOrBolsonaro" (# AmazôniaOuBolsonaro).
"Brazil is launching the "Adote1parque" preservation project, which allows you or any company or individual to choose one of the 132 parks in the Amazon and directly sponsor it with 10 euros per hectare per year. Are you going to show that you're not just giving it lip service?" said the minister in English in response to a post from the actor.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon