Meio Ambiente

Data released on Tuesday (February 2) by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) indicate a drop of 72% in the Amazon deforestation for October and November 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. According to the system of satellite monitoring, which measures the area deforested in the Amazon in real time, in October deforestation was 175 km² and, in November, 72 km². The presence of clouds did not allow the satellite observation in December.

To Minc, the successive decreases in deforestation rates can lead Brazil to a reduction of more than 95% in the deforested area in 2020, in comparison to the previous decade, beating the government's goal, which is 80% less deforestation, according to the National Plan on Climate Change.

The minister says that deforestation in the Amazon is under control. To him, the proof of this is that the numbers reported in these two months represent "a significant fall over the lowest deforestation ever registered and in a moment of sharp rebound in the economy". In the last evaluation of the Prodes system (which records the deforestation in the period of one year), between August 2008 and July 2009 the lowest deforestation rate of the last 21 years was registered.

In Minc's opinion, the drop in deforestation is the direct result of coordinated actions carried out by the Interministerial Commission to Fight Environmental Crimes and Offenses, which is intensifying the fight against environmental crimes in the region.

According to Minc, now is also the time to intensify actions that lead to sustainable alternatives for the population living in the Amazon. He mentioned the "Green Arc Operation" and the Amazon Fund, which will finance sustainable projects. "With this we want to show that the population can live in dignity without destroying the Amazon biome, keeping the forest standing", he said.