Lula’s government in Brazil – a turning point in rainforest protection? – News


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There is great hope for a new start in the protection of the Amazon. But Bolsonaro leaves a heavy legacy.

No sooner was Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in office than he made it clear: rainforest protection is now a state matter in Brazil. He wanted to fight for “zero deforestation” and was cheered for by his supporters. Applause also came from abroad.

Organized crime dominates parts of the rainforest

But it is a difficult task that the new government faces. Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro has systematically reduced the options for prosecuting environmental crimes, for example by weakening laws or cutting funds. Gold diggers and loggers have long penetrated further into the Amazon region than ever before.

Legend:

Targeted fires are used to create space for arable land in the Amazon region.

Keystone/Leo Correa

Organized crime has taken over in many areas and the state has lost its grip. So before anything can really happen in terms of rainforest protection, the state must first regain control of the Amazon region. This means, among other things: strengthening institutions, filling key positions.

Lack of support at regional level

That won’t be easy, as Lula’s coalition does not have a majority in parliament and he also lacks supporters at regional level. The governors of some key regions may have little interest in environmental protection; a good relationship with the agricultural sector and the timber industry is probably more important to them.

Marina Silva, stands at Lula's side.

Legend:

Marina Silva, the new Minister for the Environment, stands at Lula’s side.

Keystone/Andre Borges

Nevertheless, the new President has already sent important signals, for example by appointing Marina Silva as Minister for the Environment. Silva has held this post before, from 2003 to 2008, with Lula as president. At that time, the massive deforestation was reduced by 80 percent. But Silva knows that the situation today is more complex than it was then. She was already demanding more money and more staff.

Since Bolsonaro preferred to fly to the US before the start of the year and miss Lula’s inauguration, the new president received the sash from Raoni Metuktire, a pioneer in the rescue of the Amazon and chief of the indigenous Kayapo people, among others.

It is another signal in the matter of rainforest protection, as is the establishment of a ministry for indigenous affairs. Indigenous people often protect their areas better than the state, and they also defend them against invaders such as loggers or mining companies. In recent years, they have had a particularly difficult time. Now, as one of the first official acts, the new president has canceled a decree by Bolsonaro that had allowed gold diggers to advance into protected areas.

Lula has also rushed forward with an offer to host the COP30 climate change conference in 2025 in the Brazilian Amazon region. What sounds promising, however, may be accompanied by difficulties: in this region of all places, Lula was only able to win a few votes and does not have local politics on his side.

Nevertheless, the new government has already received a leap of faith from abroad. Germany has released frozen funds for the Amazon Protection Fund, a good start for Lula. He needs the support of the international community if his government is to have any chance of saving the “lungs of the world”.

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