National Parks
Brazil is one of the "megadiverse" countries, with the greatest biological diversity in the world. Together, the country's protected areas represent almost 29% of its surface area. Brazil has 70 national parks protecting a wide variety of ecosystems: tropical rainforests, savannahs, flooded grasslands and savannahs, mangroves, pampas... The national parks are managed by the Chico Mendes Institute, which suffered budget cuts under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, but is now seeing its resources restored to their former levels.
Central Amazon Conservation Complex : this is the largest protected area in the Amazon. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a reservoir of biodiversity that is unique in the world.
Pantanal Conservation Area : a vast expanse of flooded grasslands and savannahs, the Pantanal is one of the world's richest alluvial plains in terms of biodiversity. The conservation area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, includes several protected zones. However, it is threatened by agricultural activities (deforestation, pesticide spraying).
Iguaçu National Park : located in the state of Paraná, it adjoins Argentina's eponymous park and forms a vast UNESCO World Heritage site. Famous for its immense waterfalls, it also preserves exceptional biodiversity, including one of Brazil's last remaining Atlantic forests.
Fernando de Noronha National Marine Park : a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is home to a whole range of marine ecosystems and protected species, within the Fernando de Noronha archipelago.
Agricultural issues
Agriculture and livestock farming are the biggest cause of deforestation in Brazil. In 2022, according to the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research, over 4 million hectares of Brazilian forest disappeared, most of it in the Amazon rainforest, an increase on 2021. The fires behind this deforestation not only release the forest's significant carbon storage into the atmosphere, but also destroy this unique reservoir of biodiversity, which is essential to maintaining human living conditions on the planet. The crops grown also lead to chemical contamination of the environment through the massive use of pesticides. The nitrate and phosphate pollution that flows into the Amazon contributes to the formation of sargassum, the brown algae that washes up on the Caribbean coast. Road building also contributes to the fragmentation of environments and, via truck traffic, to greenhouse gas emissions. At the other end of the chain is the final consumer. In 2021, France will be the world's 8th largestimporter of Brazilian GMO soybeans for livestock feed. You can fight against imported deforestation by being a consumer.
The country's energy challenges
Brazil's energy mix is dominated by oil and biomass (biofuels). In 2022, the country ranked 9th among the world's oil producers and was among the leaders in biofuels. However, the cultivation of agrofuels is highly controversial in a country where almost 13% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2020. They contribute both to the reduction of agricultural land and to deforestation. However, Brazil may appear to be a good pupil in terms of decarbonized electricity production. 83% of its electricity comes from renewable sources. As for hydroelectric power, in 2022 it provided 63.5% of the country's electricity production, a figure that is declining following the decision to halt the construction of new dams. Further hydroelectric development in the country would mean damming up the Amazon, which would give rise to many national and international demands. The construction of a hydroelectric power station in Belo Monte in 2016, a veritable money-sink which will be inaugurated in 2019, has been described as a " monument to waste and folly" by the regional public prosecutor, in addition to being a social and environmental disaster.
Powers and counter-powers
Jair Bolsonaro's presidency was marked by a clear retreat from environmental concerns and policies, in favor of agribusiness and to the detriment of peasant agriculture. It was associated with a reduction in the resources dedicated to the main organizations in charge of the environment and indigenous communities. Lula's return to the Planalto in November 2022 was accompanied by ambitious environmental policies and the appointment of an indigenous minister to head a dedicated ministry. However, the scale of the task and the impression of impunity for environmental crimes (deforestation, murder of activists) make the results of the new policies uncertain. Brazil was even ranked in 2017 by the NGO Global Witness as one of the deadliest countries for environmental activists (57 assassinations).
Interesting movements, such as "Guardians of the Forest", bring together Guajajara Indians who intend to defend the forest against illegal clearings, organizing actions to destroy illegal installations linked to deforestation. Women have joined this movement for non-violent actions based on dialogue and knowledge.
Since 2015 (Biodiversity Law), Brazil has featured as a pioneering state in the fight against biopiracy, i.e. the monopolization of traditional resources and knowledge through the filing of illegal patents.
The Mouvement des Sans-Terre (MST) is campaigning for agrarian reform, promised since 1964 but never implemented, to give land to those who produce it. A non-political, non-religious movement, it promotes agro-ecology (diversified crops based on ecological processes, without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or GMOs) in training centers, with the aim of developing the country's food sovereignty. This agriculture should once again benefit from resources allocated to the "zero hunger" program, which promotes family farming.
The work of the new Lula government will be long and delicate, but the former trade unionist has shown a willingness to cooperate with certain States and NGOs to strengthen forest protection, improve reforestation measures and promote family farming.
