Held annually, the largest action to combat deforestation in the Atlantic Forest began this Monday (16) in 17 states. Called Operation Mata Atlântica em Pé, the initiative is coordinated by the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais (MPMG) and the Brazilian Association of Members of the Public Ministry for the Environment (Abrampa).
The operation takes place simultaneously in all states where the biome is present: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Sergipe.
The result of a joint action between state public prosecutors and related environmental agencies, the action has four phases. In the first, deforested areas are surveyed based on information from the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation and Mapbiomas Alerta.
The owners are then identified by the public prosecutors, and the areas are inspected by public bodies and environmental police. If deforestation is detected, those responsible are charged and may be held liable in civil and criminal courts.
Atlantic Forest
From 2022 to 2023, deforestation in the biome decreased by 27%, going from 20,075 hectares to 14,697. The data comes from the Atlantic Forest Atlas, coordinated by SOS Mata Atlântica and the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which also shows a drop in deforestation in 13 of the 17 states covered by the biome — Piauí, Ceará, Mato Grosso do Sul and Pernambuco were the exceptions. Last year, the illegal removal of 17,931 hectares of native Atlantic Forest vegetation was also identified by the National Operation conducted by the public ministries.
In a statement, the public prosecutor of the Public Ministry of Paraná and president of Abrampa, Alexandre Gaio, argued that the operation consolidated a culture of monitoring illegal deforestation in the biome, through the use of intelligence and continuous engagement of Public Ministries and environmental monitoring bodies, “which has also contributed to the reduction of illegal suppression rates and the fight against climate change”.
The result of this year’s edition of the operation will be presented at the end of the inspection actions, on September 27, with live online transmission by the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais.
(*Intern under the supervision of Vinícius Lisboa)
This content was originally published in Operation to combat deforestation in the Atlantic Forest begins in 17 states on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
