IRREPLACEABLE
A M A Z O N
A B L
Images of raging forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon
sparked worldwide condemnation during August.
Several IBAs have suffered – this in a country that had
been lauded for its conversion from environmental
villain to conservation hero. How has this happened?
James Lowen
22
tark images ignited global horror.
The Amazonian rainforest ablaze.
The blackened Brazilian metropolis
of São Paulo, choking with carbon.
Leaders from G7 countries condemned August’s
environmental atrocity. Brazil’s new president,
Jair Bolsonaro, was swiftly cast as villain in a
tragedy afflicting communities, creatures and
climate alike. What lessons might we draw from
Brazil’s rapid parabola from environmental
laggard to leader… and back again?
Fifteen years ago, Brazil stood on
conservationists’ naughty step. Between 1988
and 2004, Brazilian forest the extent of Poland
was destroyed by grileiros, squatters legally
entitled to establish land ownership by clearing
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terrain ‘sullied’ by trees. Vast expanses of leafy,
biodiversity-rich, carbon-storing forest were
supplanted by soy ranches and wandering
cattle. Their destruction emitted nearly 1% of
all carbon dioxide produced by humans since
the Industrial Revolution. Woe betide anyone
who obstructed the grileiros. The outsiders
thought nothing of violence against indigenous
communities and other land claimants. In Pará
state alone, 475 forest-defending activists were
assassinated between 1985 and 2002.
Unexpectedly, things changed in 2005. A nun,
Dorothy Stang, who supported local farmers
striving to save their forest was murdered.
This proved a killing too far. Amid national
outrage, President Lula da Silva launched an
offensive against deforestation. He banned
new land claims and logging permits, boosted
government enforcement capability, declared
dozens of protected areas and indigenous
territories, and paid families to safeguard forest.
Meanwhile, soy and beef industries responded
to consumer pressure by ceasing to sell
products from recently deforested terrain.
Conservationists rejoiced as Amazon
deforestation halved from 2004 to 2008, and
BIRDLIFE • OCT-DEC 2019