andanti-globalistmessages.Intheend,
thesethingsjusthelpedhimtogather
supportfromnationalists.”
Undermountingglobalpressure,by
23 August– manyweeksafterthefireshad
startedandwreakedhavocintherainforest- Bolsonarofinallysentarmytroopstohelp
fightthefires.However,becauseofthe
fundingcutstoenvironmentalprotection,
manyfeltthiswastoolittletoolate.When
askedwhatelsehasbeendonetostopthe
fires,MaryMenton,anenvironmental
justicefellowfromUniversityofSussex
replies“Honestly,notnearlyenough.The
governmentdoesnothavethepolitical
willtoaddressthemand,evenif it did,the
firefightinginfrastructureandresources
arenotinplace.”
Bymid-September,fireswerestillraging
inpartsoftheAmazon.International aid
thatBolsonarodidaccept
includedsendinginplanes
andfirefighters.However,
withoutaddressingthe
fundamentalcausesofthe
fires– includingthestifled
Braziliangovernment’s
environmentaldepartment
anda pushto‘develop’the
Amazon– it is likelythat
nextyearwillseesimilar
burnstakeplace.
Thechangingpoliticalsituationin
Brazildoesnotmakeit easytoundertake
thecrucialconservationworkthatwould
otherwise help protect the Amazon.
AccordingtoAlexanderLees,senior
lecturerinconservationbiologyat
ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity,
“Brazil hasoneofthehighestmurderrates
ofenvironmentalactivists.
Eventheenvironmentalpolice
arenotsafeat thefrontiers.”
Whatcanbedonetoreverse
thisproblem?“Weneedto
stopevaluatingdevelopment
schemessolelyintermsofthe
profitstheycouldgenerate,”
saysLees.Hearguesthat
Brazildoesnotneedmoreof
theAmazontobeconverted
toagriculture.Thereis
alreadya hugeamountofabandoned
anddegradedfarmlandthatcanbeused,
aswellasimprovingtheproductivity
of cattle ranching. This can be done,saysLees,by“betteruseofthisland,
intensifyingproductioninplacestospare
landthatcanbereturnedtoforestin
others,whileempoweringindigenous
communitiesratherthansystematically
underminingthem”.
It remainstobeseenwhatBolsonaro’s
nextmoveis whenit comestoprotecting
theAmazon.Somecountrieshave
suggestedimplementinga banon
anyimportsfromBrazilthatcouldbe
contributingtothedeforestationandfires.
Byusingtheworld’slargestrainforestas
a pawnina complicatedglobalpolitical
gameofchess,thefutureof the Amazon
hangs in the balance.NIKIRUSTisanenvironmental
socialscientistandscience
communicator: nikirust.com.Fire: Victor Moriyama/Greenpeace; cattle: GettyFACTFILE
BOLIVIANFIRES
QInBolivia,upuntil
September 2019
wildfiresarereported
tohaveravaged
4 millionhectares
of Amazonian forest.Is re natural in the Amazon?
Firesarea naturalpartof
someecosystems,suchasthe
savannahsofAfrica.Notso
theAmazon.“Tropicalforests
donotnaturallyburn,”says
AlexanderLees,seniorlecturer
inconservationbiologyat
ManchesterMetropolitan
University.“Thespecies
thatoccupythemhaveno
evolutionaryadaptations
towardsfire.”Infire-dependent
ecosystems,treeshavemuch
thicker bark as a protectionagainstfires,butthisis not
foundinAmazoniantrees,
wherehalfofthetreesmay
perish.Leesexplainsthat
“oncethesetreesdieand
fallover,theyopenupthe
forestcanopy,causingthe
understoreytodryandbecome
morefire-prone.Thisstarts
a viciouscycleofmorefires
andmoredegradation.”The
Amazonianbiomecouldtake
many,manyyearsto recover- if it ever does.
Smokebillowsfrom
forestsnearPortoVelho.
Below:thepressureto
createmorecattle
pasture continues.36 BBC Wildlife December 2019NEWSFEATURE