Brazil: Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva Taps Amazon Defenders to Be Environment and Indigenous Peoples Ministers

Brazil's incoming president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has tapped two well-known Amazon defenders, Marina Silva and Sônia Guajajara, for the role of environment and Indigenous peoples ministers.

Lula made the announcement before taking office on Sunday, ending Jair Bolsonaro's presidency.

Silva, 64, will return to her job as environment minister. She held the same position from 2003 to 2008, which was a period when Brazil managed to significantly curb Amazon deforestation.

Guajajara, 48, will lead Brazil's first ministry for Indigenous peoples. The department was created in response to the influx of violence and land invasions during Bolsonaro's administration.

Guajajara noted that it is a "landmark in our history of struggle and resistance." She added that the ministry for Indigenous peoples shows Lula's commitment to protecting the group's "autonomy and space" when it comes to making deliberations on Indigenous people's territories and way of life.

Lula has vowed to prosecute all crimes in the forest, including illegal logging and mining.

Amazon Defenders as Brazil's Environment Ministers

Marina Silva was born in the Amazon rainforest and was a child worker in the rubber industry. She overcame illiteracy and became a Goldman Prize-winning environmental organizer.

During the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Silva noted that Brazil will return to its "protagonist role" in climate change and biodiversity.

On the other hand, Sônia Guajajara was born in the Araribóia territory of the eastern Amazon. She also became one of the leading figures in the Indigenous rights movement.

In 2018, she ran for Brazil's vice presidency, making her the first Indigenous woman to do so. In October's election, she won a seat in Congress. Guajajara's new ministry will represent the 307 Indigenous peoples in Brazil.

Experts noted that the incoming administration will face obstacles in its attempt to rebuild environmental protections after Jair Bolsonaro's administration dismantled the environment agency.

Amazon Protections in Brazil

Jair Bolsonaro earlier froze the creation of protected areas, weakened environmental agencies, and allowed the agriculture ministry to manage the rainforest.

Brazil's Amazon reached a 15-year high in deforestation in July 2021. Two Lula allies disagreed with Marina Silva's nomination regarding the conflict of her previous position.

Neri Geller, a lawmaker of the agribusiness caucus, noted that things have already changed after Silva left her post in 2008.

Geller said Silva was "a little too extremist," but noted that the agro sector also had "some extremists."

Marcio Astrini, the head of an umbrella group of NGOs called the Climate Observatory, argued that the ministry has been destroyed and will "have to be rebuilt almost from scratch."

Astrini welcomed Silva's appointment to the environment ministry. However, he said it does not mean that powerful politicians and criminal gangs targeting Brazil's Amazon rainforest would not suddenly disappear.

Silva and Brazil would benefit from Amazon Fund, which Norway and Germany suspended when Bolsonaro excluded state governments and civil society from decision-making.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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