Reports of Amazon Rainforest Fires Are Lies, Bolsonaro Says

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Aug 20, 2020 02:58 AM EDT

Wildfires have been detected in Brazil's Amazon rainforest this month. At least 19,000 fires have been tracked across the Amazon in the first half of August.

Some government figures showed that the number of wildfires recorded in the Amazon rainforest increased by 81 percent compared to the same period in 2019. But Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro claimed that the Amazon rainforest fires are false.

Bolsonaro said the story of the Amazon rainforest fires is "a lie." He announced during the Presidential Summit of the Leticia Pact for the Preservation of the Amazon. He added that they must combat these with real numbers.

Brazil's National Institute for Space Research said that since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019, deforestation has increased by around 30 percent, mostly caused by illegal logging and fires set by loggers and developers.

A Latino USA report further noted that since Bolsonaro was president, he did not take steps to pass stricter measures to help wildfires from starting and spreading.

Police investigations on the Amazon rainforest fires were opened in 2019. But the culprits have yet to be caught.

The Amazon rainforest has already lost over 17 percent of its original area. In the next 15 to 30 years, it may collapse if measures are not taken soon.

Amazon Rainforest Fires

Environmental group Greenpeace also said that Bolsonaro's strategies are ineffective.

"Bolsonaro's administration has continued to systematically dismantle environmental protection and has undermined the work of environmental law enforcement agencies," Cristiane Mazzetti, an Amazon campaigner for Greenpeace Brazil, said in a report.

Bolsonaro previously declared a fire-ban for 120 days at the Amazon rainforest. He also sent troops to the area to fight deforestation. Mazzetti noted that sending troops to the Amazon is just a PR stunt and a waste of resources.

INPE, Brazil's government space research agency, reported that fire activity in the Amazon rainforest throughout July increased with 6,803 documented fires to last year's 5,318. However, Bolsonaro's administration still rejects concerns that fires in the area are out of control.

Vice President Hamilton Mourao insisted that the protected area of the forest is not burning. Mourao even lashed out at U.S. actor Leonardo DiCaprio for posting about the issue on social media.

"I would like to invite our most recent critic, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, to go with me here to São Gabriel da Cachoeira to do an eight-hour march through the jungle between São Gabriel airport and the Cucuí road. There he will better understand how things work in this immense region," Mourao noted.

Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest had diverse creatures and indigenous people. It covers the area of northwestern Brazil up to Colombia, Peru, and other Latin American countries.

The Leticia Pact was made in September by the countries that share the Amazon region. These countries are Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana.

The pact was made to tackle issues surrounding the rainforest, such as deforestation, forest restoration efforts, sustainable use of the area's natural resources, and measures to empower women and indigenous people. It also includes the creation of educational campaigns.