After the main interviews and presidential debates on TV, criticism from environmentalist colleagues and environmental activists “poured”, on social media. I share the same thoughts: the Amazon has been neglected in most candidates’ discussions and the environmental issue has not been the protagonist it should be. This is deeply regrettable, concerning the relevance of this region in the national and international agenda.
The conservation of the Amazon is a fundamental matter as it implies the guarantee of prosperity and welfare state of Brazilians and all humankind. First, the region encompasses more than 50% of the national territory. This aspect, alone, demands privileged space in the discussion agendas. However, an even more relevant issue is its crucial role for the global socioenvironmental matter.
It is not by chance that the Amazon is the protagonist in any international discussion involving exports of agricultural products from Brazil. The region encircles the largest area of tropical forest in the world, representing almost 70% of its total, thus, being a “key” to accomplish Brazil’s climate goals and, ultimately, to achieve the ambition to limit global warming by 1,5 oC Deforestation in the Amazon is the main cause of Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions. Land use changes correspond for almost 50% of Brazilian gas emissions currently. Therefore, there is no solution to mitigate climate change in Brazil without solving the chronic problems of conserving the region's forests.
Unfortunately, deforestation is not the only problem to be tackled during the next presidential governors’ and legislators’ terms, even though it is the mainly focused concern by public managers. Forest degradation, especially by fires, is responsible for increasing by almost 90% of the greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation events. The biodiversity loss in the region may be duplicated if we consider the degradation caused by deforestation. Among the most impacting sectors are the small sustainable agribusiness activities, especially livestock, mining
The challenges for the next administration are huge, but they are fully possible to overcome with good political will. Among the urgent actions are the expansion of investments in science and technology on a scale compatible with the size and importance of the region. At the moment, investments are insignificant compared to other Brazilian regions. The actions should include, among others, increasing and strengthening postgraduate courses, attracting professionals and fostering research and innovation. The conservation of primary forests, fighting deforestation and forest degradation, must be priorities in public policies. Restoration of forest landscapes is a fundamental action to be planned together with the reduction of deforestation and degradation.
The essential mechanisms to achieve forest conservation goals are clearly known. They involve environmental governance with the strengthening of public institutions, such as Ibama, ICMBio, Incra and Funai, in addition to the conservation and demarcation of Indigenous Lands, with the protection of their peoples. The implementation of policies to prevent deforestation and degradation, such as the PPCDAM¹, forest restoration, such as PLANAVEG² and the implementation of Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) [Rural Environmental Registry], and financial incentives for conservation, such as the Amazon Fund, compensation for environmental services and valorization of sociobiodiversity forest products.
Implementing these policies depends on laws and projects in the national congress and in the legislative houses, and their execution depends on a management engaged with environmental guidelines. A few days before the elections, we are about to choose candidates committed to protecting indigenous territories and the climate, biodiversity and water crises. This choice will be able to determine whether the Amazon and its sociobiodiversity will be maintained or destroyed.
1- Abbreviation for Plano de Ação para Prevenção e Controle do Desmatamento na Amazônia Legal [Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon], created by the federal government in 2004, aiming at reducing deforestation, creating the necessary conditions to have a sustainable development model in the region.
2- Abbreviation for Plano Nacional de Recuperação da Vegetação Nativa (Planaveg) [National Plan for the Recovery of Native Vegetation], published in 2017 by the federal government, aiming at the recovery of native vegetation of at least 12 million hectares by 2030.
