Amazon governor revokes forest protection in re-election bid
Source: AP
By FABIANO MAISONNAVE
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In an effort to get more votes and win reelection, the governor of the Brazilian state of Rondonia on Friday revoked the protection of a large swath of Amazon forest.
Marcos Rocha, a staunch ally of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, signed a decree that abolished the Soldado da Borracha Ecological Station, which is 1,790 square kilometers (691 square miles).
In the decree, Rocha stated that the goal was to legalize about 760 land grabbers, from illegal loggers to cattle ranchers, inside the preserved area. By law, a designated ecological station forbids economic activity and human occupation.
The measure, likely to be challenged in court, opens the door for increased deforestation in the area, which is about twice the size of New York City. It also underscores that, while many people internationally and in Brazil want to protect the Amazon, many Amazon dwellers are in favor of development and believe it’s for them to decide.
FILE - People walk past a mural that reads in Portuguese: “Every vote counts” in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Oct. 25, 2022. In a last-minute effort to win reelection on Sunday, Oct. 30, Marcos Rocha, the governor of Rondonia, in the Brazilian Amazon and a staunch ally of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, revoked the protection of a large swath of the Amazon forest. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-new-york-forests-city-brazil-ef1953e178d56d6954e63ac894f58524
= new reply since forum marked as read
