The government has promoted deforestation, there is no doubt about that

The government has promoted deforestation, there is no doubt about that

Adriana Ramos,
Instituto Socioambiental, ISA

"Preventing Bolsonaro moving the Indigenous agency FUNAI from the ministry of justice was a success but they tried to criminalise civil society organisations, accusing many NGOs of starting fires in the Amazon.

We have managed to stand up against many unacceptable policies and mobilise society and celebrities against the government.

We've engaged sectors of society through social media, neutralising the government's criminalisation message [against civil society] and have the potential to change the [government's] discourse. And each time the popularity of the government falls and less people believe in their message.

And now there is the investigation into the Bolsonaro political clan's role in disseminating fake news. And the organisation Sleeping Giants in Brazil is targeting the firms that profit from it.

Any doubt has been removed now about the intentions of the government. But they are incompetent, and they are not leading the country.

There must be concrete demands by international corporations on both bilateral and general trade agreements.

Social participation in these trade agreements must be guaranteed, and there need to be better standards on human rights, Indigenous Peoples rights and minorities. There must be social and environmental safeguards.

The increase in deforestation is a direct cause of the government's policies. They have rendered the Amazon Fund in effective, reduced the structure and support for inspections, and removed fines. The government promoted deforestation, there is no doubt about that.

The Amazon Council doesn't have any role. If you have no policy, there is no policy to be coordinated."

* Adriana Ramos, coordinates the Policy and Law Program of the Instituto Socioambiental, ISA.

https://www.fern.org/story-articles/bolsonaro%e2%80%99s-brazil-a-pariah…