Fire-fighting Operation in the Amazon May Be Extended for one Month

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO) Operation of the Armed Forces to fight fires in the Amazon Forest may be extended for one more month due to the persistence of dry weather in the North and Center-West of Brazil.

During the 16th International Security Conference of the Copacabana Fort, Defense Minister General Fernando Azevedo e Silva said that he would discuss the matter with President Jair Bolsonaro at a meeting yesterday, September 20th.

Azevedo e Silva has provided data for 29 days of the Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO) operation in the Legal Amazon, which was carried out at the request of the region’s state governments. The presidential decree supporting the operation remains in effect until September 24th.

More than 500 fires have been fought in the period. Approximately 2,100 military personnel were trained as firefighters and 51,913.33 cubic meters of illegally logged timber were seized. Altogether, the operation resulted in 106 infringement proceedings totaling R$28.3 million in fines.

The minister said that the greatest concern with hotspots is centered in the north of Mato Grosso and the south of Pará. They also concern the center-south of Mato Grosso and Goiás.

“We have no concern in the native forest,” Azevedo e Silva said.

During his lecture, the minister showed graphs suggesting that the number of hotspots recorded in August 2019 exceeded the historical average, but remained below the worst years since 1998.

“There is a lot of negative propaganda about this that does not match the reality experienced now,” he said, who explained that hotspots are not necessarily fires.

The general further said the ministry may have a “boost” in this year’s budget, with a potential loosening of resources that would benefit all ministries. According to Azevedo e Silva, the Ministry of Defense was the most affected by the contingency, with 49 percent of its resources blocked.

Source: Agência Brasil