A Brazilian court has stopped a government deregulation of nature conservation on the country’s coast. The federal judge Maria Carvalho yesterday (local time) upheld a corresponding complaint by environmentalists, because „there is a clear risk of irreversible damage to the environment“. It overturned a decision made by the National Environment Council on Monday.
The committee headed by Environment Minister Ricardo Salles had decided to repeal rules from 2002 for the protection of mangroves and scrub in overgrown dune landscapes. The protection zones could have been released for real estate projects in the future.
The head of the nature conservation organization SOS Mata Atlantica, Mario Mantovani, described the move as a „crime against society“. There is strong pressure from the real estate industry to develop these areas.
The government of Brazil’s ultra-right President Jair Bolsonaro has already come under heavy criticism at home and abroad for the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, which is essential for protecting the global climate. The destruction of the Amazon forest by fire has increased dramatically since he began his tenure in January 2019.
