Bolsonaro promoting sustainable development of Amazon region

I would like to make reference to the editorial “Amazon is burning and Brazilian President Bolsonaro doesn’t care”, published on August 29, 2019. Allow me to clarify some of the information presented in that article in order to contribute to a more precise understanding of what is currently happening in the Amazon forest. It is also worth mentioning the decisions taken by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is actively engaged not only in controlling the fires but also in promoting the sustainable development of the Amazon region.Therefore, it is not accurate, as mentioned, that Brazil has returned to a policy of deforestation. On the contrary, there has been a significant reduction in deforestation rates in the Amazon region: from 27,700 sq km in 2004 to 7,500sq km in 2018 (a 72% reduction). Last February, Brazil became the first country to receive payments from the Green Climate Fund, amounting to $96mn, for environmental services of deforestation reduction.Regarding the reasons that led to the fires in the Amazon, it is important to take into account that forest fires happen every year in Brazil, especially during the dry season, which comprises July, August and September. Almost all the fires registered in 2019 are level 1, the lowest in a scale that goes up to 3.As of August 16, 2019, satellite data from renowned sources, such as Nasa’s Earth Observatory, show that total fire activity across the Amazon basin this year has been close to the average in comparison to the past 18 years. It also points that the number of fires does not represent a historical or unprecedented record.Regarding the statement that Brazilian forests are burnt to grow food, it is important to bear in mind that, in recent decades, Brazil has developed the capacity to balance agricultural production with environmental preservation. Over 60% of the Brazilian territory of 8,5mn sq km is covered by native vegetation, with farming limited to around 30% of the territory, 8% of which is devoted to the country’s agriculture and around 22% to livestock (a much lower rate than many other countries). Brazil is one of the countries with the largest extent of protected areas, according to the “Protected Planet Report 20161’ by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC).Out of the 30% of the Brazilian territory dedicated to farming activities, less than a third (9%) is dedicated to crops and planted forests, a figure lower than the total of indigenous lands (13,8% of the territory). The remainder of this area is devoted to extensive livestock activities.The Brazilian Forest Code requires all rural estates to preserve the native vegetation in 80% of their land, if the land is situated within the Amazon biome; 35%, if it is in the transitional area between the Cerrado and the Amazon biomes; and 20% in the other biomes. This makes Brazil the only country in the world with conservation requirements whereby farmers are responsible for the conservation of a great deal of the territory, without receiving any financial compensation in exchange.President Bolsonaro is strongly committed to the Brazilian Constitution, which guarantees the original rights of indigenous peoples to the lands they traditionally inhabit. There are currently 600 units of indigenous land in Brazil, covering over 1mn sq km (118mn hectares) - 13% of the national territory and 23% of the legal Amazon.Regarding the concern raised about the release of the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, let me clarify that Brazil is the only country among the large developing ones to have adopted absolute emission reduction targets for its economy as a whole. Likewise, Brazil’s commitments are more ambitious than those of several developed G20 member states. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, only three G20 member states are on track to full compliance with their respective Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), namely Brazil, Japan and China.Brazil, as a sovereign country, remains open to work with the international community as long as decisions involving its territory, its resources, and most important, its people, be taken in co-ordination with the Brazilian government.