The conservation and restoration of the Brazilian Amazon can give a major boost to the Brazilian economy. This is the conclusion of the research of more than seventy Brazilian researchers. Reducing logging was an election promise from President Lula, but it will not be easy to reverse the policies of former President Jaïr Bolsonaro. ‘The political will has to be there.’
The previous president of Brazil, Jaïr Bolsonaro, focused heavily on logging and large-scale agriculture to profit economically from the Amazon region. To initiate a change of course, President Lula must now sit down with regional leaders to take Bolsonaro’s logging permits off the table.
Whether it will be successful is highly questionable, according to Pitou van Dijck, who has been to the Amazon region many times as an economist. ‘Regional presidents of states have largely just been appointed by Bolsonaro. They actually want to implement his agenda, so Lula must come across that.’
Economics interests
Behind Bolsonaro’s policy were the main economic interests of, among others, the logging industry, the soybean sector and the beef sector. “They want to further expand the traditional economy there,” says Van Dijck. “The alternative economy is fine, but it’s not on the agenda right now.”
Instead, it would be better to focus on much smaller-scale economic activities that don’t harm the forest, the research shows. According to Van Dijck, an important alternative is agroforestry, which means that small farmers develop agricultural production in the forest. ‘It’s actually been around for a long time, but you can scale it back. It works to improve poverty reduction and income distribution, and you don’t need new technology. It was already there.’
Domestic fight
According to Van Dijck, President Lula is now facing an internal battle with big landowners and big companies who want further expansion in the Amazon region. ‘This report shows that not only is there the possibility of further felling and burning, but that this change of course can be achieved by relatively simple means. But the political will must be there.”
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
