Bolsonaro Wants Control Over Amazon Deforestation Data

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – After suggesting that the latest deforestation data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) was false, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro now wants the agency to “coordinate” reports of unfavorable data with government officials before divulging them.

“At the very least, if the data is alarming, he (INPE Director Galvão) should, in an attitude of responsibility, respect and patriotism, look to his immediate boss, in this case the minister and say: ‘Look. minister, we have some data here we will disclose, we must disclose, so you must be prepared.’ This is the way it should be done, not the trivial way it was done, which puts Brazil in a complicated situation. It hurts us,” said Bolsonaro on Monday, July 22nd, to reporters when asked about the controversy.

According to Brazil’s leader, Amazon deforestation is a sensitive subject which could hinder agreements between the country and international partners. “The environmental issue, the whole world takes into account. Other countries that we are negotiating with, Mercosur issue, or even bilateral agreements, makes it difficult for us to disclose this data. We have to take responsibility,” justified the president.

The statements were seen by many environmentalist groups as an executive sanction to hide negative results.

“The executive office adopts a mistaken attitude in wanting to hide the data on the increase of deforestation in the Amazon, believing that this would not damage the image of the country. If the data are no longer public, Brazil will become part of a select group of countries that, by stifling science and independent research for ideological reasons, have come to be recognized as international outcasts,” said the World Wildlife Fund on Tuesday, July 23rd.

What sparked the latest environment crisis in Brazil was the release of the latest figures by INPE earlier this month, showing that deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon region reached 920.4 square kilometers in June, an increase of 88 percent compared to the same month last year. The agency also noted that preliminary satellite data indicates more than 1,000 square km of forest were lost during the first half of July, an increase of 68 percent from that registered in July of 2018.

Last Friday, president Bolsonaro said he did not believe INPE’s data and even hinted that the entity’s director was working for an NGO against the country.

“With all the devastation that you accuse us of doing and having done in the past, the Amazon would have already been extinguished,” said Bolsonaro during his weekly breakfast with foreign journalists.

“I have already asked to see who is the head of INPE. It seems that he is working for some NGO, which is very common,” Bolsonaro added.

The director denies it. “I am 71 years old, 48 years of public service and still active, I did not ask for my retirement. I have never had any relationship with any NGO, never been paid (by) outside (sources), never received anything other than my salary as a civil servant,” said Director Ricardo Galvão in interviews to local media.

Over the weekend, the SBPC (Council of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science), expressed its full support of INPE and Galvão.

“The science produced by INPE is among the best in the world in its fields, thanks to a team of scientists and technicians with excellent qualifications, and provides invaluable services to the country. The director of INPE, Dr. Ricardo Galvão, is an internationally recognized scientist who for decades has contributed to science, technology, and innovation in Brazil. Unfounded criticism of a scientific institution that has been operating for about sixty years, and is widely recognized in the country and abroad, is offensive, unacceptable and harmful to scientific knowledge,” said the entity in a statement.

Some analysts say that president Bolsonaro’s outburst is linked to the fact that INPE’s satellite data serves as a reference to guide donations to the Amazon Fund, and that negative data may hinder such donations.

Created in 2008 to develop forest conservation and reduce deforestation, the Amazon Fund gets most of its donations from foreign governments, especially Norway and Germany. In early July, representatives from the two countries met with Brazil’s Environment Minister, Ricardo Salles, to discuss the Fund.

“We are worried about the recent developments in Brazil and reports on increased deforestation in the Amazon,” the Norwegian Climate and Environment Ministry was quoted as saying at the time.

Since May, the Ministry has been trying to change some of the Fund’s rules, including using the donations to pay compensation to private property owners living in protected areas. Current rules do not allow the use of money for such payment, and Germany and Norway oppose the idea.

“Norway’s goal is to continue the partnership, even though we realize that the termination of the fund also is a possible outcome,” added the Minister after the meeting.

Brazil’s current administration has, through various spokespersons, insisted that the Amazon region should be governed and managed by Brazil and not foreign countries or environmental entities seeking to preserve the world’s largest tropical forest.

The latest controversy, say analysts, may further discourage foreign donations and increase unaccountability and lack of transparency of what is being done to preserve the region.