Penalties range from R$3,000 to R$50 million and fires on indigenous reservations are an aggravating factor; the announcement comes after criticism from governors
The president’s government Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) published this Friday (20.Sep.2024) measures to facilitate transfers for combating fires and to toughen fines for environmental crimes. Here is the full (PDF – 370 kB).
The announcement is made after meeting with governors on Thursday (19.Sep) to discuss the crisis. On the occasion, heads of state executives, such as Mauro Mendes (Union Brazil-MT) and Ronaldo Caiado (União Brasil-GO), criticized the actions of the federal government.
Now, the PT administration has relaxed the transfers destined for prevention and combat in locations that have declared an emergency or state of calamity and have been recognized by the federal government.
The penalties applied for the use of fire in agribusiness and fires in forest areas, with an aggravating factor if they are caused on indigenous lands, were set as follows:
- fine of up to R$10 million for landowners who fail to “implement actions to prevent and combat forest fires” in the properties;
- fine of up to R$50 million for those who fail to repair, compensate or indemnify environmental damage;
- fine of R$10,000 per hectare for anyone who starts fires in native vegetation;
- a fine of R$5,000 per hectare for anyone who starts fires in cultivated forests; and
- fine of up to R$10 million for those who fail to comply with environmental embargoes.
This week, the federal government also announced emergency credit of R$514 million to combat fires in Brazil. The money was distributed among 7 ministries, with the largest share concentrated in the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (R$130 million).
At the same time, Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) and ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) will receive R$104 million (R$42 million and R$62 million, respectively).
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