MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New force launched to help fight fires in Brazil's jungles and forests

Forest and jungle fires have reached historic records under Bolsonaro

Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security Thursday announced that more than 6,000 so-called “guardians of the biome” will be deployed for the prevention of repression and investigation of fires in jungles and forests throughout the country.

Each of the 27 Brazilian states will provide specialized professionals to provide support in the regions where fires are most critical, such as the Brazilian Amazon, the Pantanal and the Cerrado.

The Strategic Operational Plan for Integrated Action in the Fight against Forest Fires will also involve the Ministries of Environment and Regional Development portfolios, it was explained.

“With the sum of efforts and integration between the nation and the states, we are going to show the world that Brazil is committed to the preservation of its biomes,” said Justice Minister Anderson Torres. “This is a commitment from the Government of Jair Bolsonaro,” he added.

Torres also pointed out that the focus will be on the states of Amazonas, Amapá, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian Federal Police will be in charge of the control and repression of crimes such as illegal deforestation. The new plan is to be operational according to each State's demand between August and November, but the lack of rains has already spread the fires in several regions of the Brazilian Amazon.

The largest tropical forest on the planet registered 2,308 fire outbreaks in June, the highest number for that month since 2007 and 2.6% higher than in the same period of 2020.

Meanwhile, the Pantanal ecosystem, the largest wetland on the planet, shared between Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, has lost 26% of its area in Brazil due to the record of fires it suffered in 2020 and the outlook for this year is not better.

Fires have reached historic records under President Jair Bolsonaro, whose environmental policy has been harshly criticized by organizations and foreign countries alike.

The deterioration of the Amazon has increased pressure on the Government and prompted an important group of global investment funds to warn of a possible withdrawal of capital, in case the fight against deforestation was not upped.

Bolsonaro's policy regarding environmental concerns has also put at stake the advancement of the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay) after several European countries expressed their rejection of the treaty by alleging environmental problems.