URUARA, Brazil: Brazil's environmental enforcement agents set out in January on their first mission this year to combat illegal deforestation, with renewed energy after the election of a president who has promised to stop surging Amazon rainforest destruction.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office Jan 1, has vowed to end destruction of the world's largest rainforest but it may take years to show major progress, as understaffed agencies face a bureaucratic battle to hire staff and a violent one against criminals emboldened by his predecessor.
Ibama's staffing and resources expanded in Lula's 2003-2010 presidency, when he managed to reduce Amazon deforestation by 72 per cent. But its numbers have dwindled dramatically since then. The incoming Ibama chief was circumspect about how many agents could be hired this year, calling it a"gradual" process.
Sidelining Ibama, Bolsonaro deployed the military to protect the Amazon, but their inexperience in conservation failed to lower deforestation while running up a massive bill. "Now there is an opportunity to kill him, just say the word," said one message in the group, reviewed by Reuters. Ultimately, Lima and several other Ibama agents told Reuters, the agency needs far more people and equipment to control deforestation, rather than merely displace it.
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