A setback in Brazil's environmental legislation

WWF-Brazil described the approval of an alternate bill for the Forest Law submitted by Representative Aldo Rebelo as a setback. In WWF-Brazil's opinion, the changes were hardly debated and, if the bill is passed by the Lower House as is, it will nullify all the efforts that the Brazilian Government has been making to conserve Brazil's forests.

WWF-Brazil stressed that more adequate alternatives have been put forward by researchers, civil society, and the Ministério Público (Office of the Public Prosecutor), but a choice was made for a backward option without any consideration of the consequences.

The NGO pointed out that the proposed measures weaken the deforestation targets to reduce greenhouse effect gases proposed by Brazil at COP-15, which are included in Federal Law no. 12.187/2009.

While detractors of the Forest Law argue that the existing legislation is outdated, WWF-Brazil's Conservation Director Carlos Alberto de Mattos Scaramuzza underscores that this is a forward-looking law insofar as the existing Forest Law protects Brazil's agricultural production and huge biodiversity against the impacts of climate change by means of the ecological services provided by the so-called permanent protection areas (APPs) and legal reserves (RL).

"The existing law not only seeks to ensure natural resources, fertile lands and high-quality, abundant water are available, but also to reduce risks associated with climate changes and the resulting increase in extreme climate events. Compliance with the Forest Law staves off soil erosion and landslides, and protects sources and rivers, which are vital for agriculture," said Carlos Alberto Mattos Scaramuzza.

For WWF-Brazil's Conservation Director, "it is up to WWF-Brazil to call on Brazilian Congressmen, NGOs, researchers, and farmers so that the very imperfections and redundancies in the alternate bill do not translate into real obstacles to Brazil's economic and social development as a result of degraded soils, water resources and natural resources."