16 May 2008 - The sudden
resignation of Brazilian Environment Minister
on 13 May has been greeted with shock and
regret by the conservationist community.
“This is a clear sign
that environmental issues are not in the
agenda of the government”, said Denise Hamú,
WWF-Brazil’s Secretary General.
“Since Marina Silva
took office in January 2003, she was counteracted
and discredited by the Federal Government”,
said Hamú. “Examples include during
the debates on genetically modified organisms
(GMOs), alternatives for agri-business and
especially the process to license hydroelectric
dams on the Madeira River in the Amazon.”
WWF-Brazil paid tribute
to significant progress in the environmental
field achieved during Minister Silva’s office.
Among others: the forestry policy to grant
forest concessions, measures to monitor,
prevent and fight deforestation, the creation
of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity
Conservation (ICMBio) to manage federal
protected area sites; efforts for the approval
of the Atlantic Forest Law in the Congress,
and the creation of the Brazilian Forestry
Service.
According to Denise
Hamú, the minister’s resignation
is generating much insecurity towards the
future.
“She tried in vain to
build a sustainable development policy that
involved all ministries and not just her
own.
Another factor that,
according to WWF-Brazil, contributed to
the Minister’s resignation was President
Lula’s recent decision not to delegate to
her the coordination of the Sustainable
Amazon Plan launched earlier in May.
For WWF-Brazil’s Secretary
General, the resignation of Marina Silva
is also a great loss, because of her background.
She was born in a village in a remote area
of the Amazon region, has strong links with
the social movement and has been very active
in environmental defence during her whole
political career.
“Marina Silva’s resignation
will have international repercussions for
Brazil, and the only positive aspect is
that we will have an excellent senator back”,
said Hamú.
The politician was re-elected
senator in 2002 for the State of Acre and
her terms ends in 2010.
On the same day Marina
Silva resigned, some 200 farmers, forest
product workers and fishermen participated
in a public hearing in the House of Representatives
on the delay caused by defining the status
of protected area sites.
And on May 13 also,
a demonstration was held in front of the
National Congress with the objective to
put the Federal Government under pressure
so as to accelerate the creation of extractive
reserves in the northern, northeaster and
Midwestern regions of the country.
