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Read, Debate: Engage.
| topic: | Hunting & Poaching |
|---|---|
| located: | Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia |
| editor: | Ellen Nemitz |
Worldwide, we have been seeing nature recovering from pollution and over-tourism since the beginning of stay-at-home measures. But while the world’s eyes are on the COVID-19 pandemic and movement restrictions are still ongoing, poachers and loggers are taking advantage to make their moves. The World Economic Forum denounced that, due to lack of tourism and funding, there has been an increase in the hunting of rhinos in Africa, of birds in Cambodia, of jaguars and pumas in Colombia and of tigers in India.
In Brazil, from the Amazon to the Atlantic Forest, our biomes are under threat. So are indigenous peoples. Among several concerns, environmentalists had a victory: deputies did not appreciate the Provisional Measure number 910, which would legalise and even encourage the invasion of lands by speculators who destroy the forests. However, this is not the end of the line. Now, there will be a new bill to discuss land regulation. Knowing the political game made of lobbies and economic interests, there is no time to rest: we must keep our eyes open.
Meanwhile, according to data released by INPE (the National Institute for Space Research), the area with deforestation warnings in the Amazon increased by more than 46 per cent in March and April compared to the same months in 2019. This is an additional threat to indigenous peoples, who are also suffering from COVID-19.
The international known photographer Sebastião Salgado denounced the “genocide” that coronavirus could promote against the original populations, essentially because outsiders take COVID-19 close to their lands. It is not too much to remember that tribes were decimated 500 years ago when Europeans brought new diseases. "Now, with this new scourge spreading rapidly across Brazil… [they] may disappear completely since they have no means of combating COVID-19”, says an open letter signed by various celebrities.
The Atlantic Forest, a biome with only 12.4 per cent of original coverage remaining, is facing threats as well. The Environment Minister, Ricardo Salles, has authorised the amnesty for deforestations that occurred before 2008, disrespecting the Atlantic Forest Law. He has seemingly done so with regard to requirements set by agriculture associations but, according to experts from environmental NGOs, the decision is illegal. The Prosecutor’s Office and NGOs are mobilising to reverse the decree.
“The decision goes against the principle of legality, once it disregards a previous law [choosing the Forest Code in detriment of the Atlantic Forest Law, better for forest]. It is an illegal and unreasonable decision”, says the biologist João de Deus Medeiros, coordinator-general of the Atlantic Forests' NGOs Net. “The minister cannot choose what law to follow. If there is a general law to protect forests and a law for a specific forest, that forest will be ruled by this specific law”, Medeiros explains.
While we stay at home to save lives, our forests are being destroyed and indigenous lands are being invaded, putting our future in danger with government support. It is possible to help stop this from a distance, signing petitions, emailing parliamentarians or donating to NGOs. Our mobilisation is more important than ever.
