"We cannot think on Amazonia as land constituted only by forests, rivers and Indians”

That statement was made by the Deputy Asdrubal Bentes (PMDB-PA) – rapporteur on the Provisional Measure (MP) 458/09, which regulates land in the Amazon – in a chat with internet users at the Chamber Agency, on Tuesday morning (17). He intends to present on Wednesday (18) his report on the MP. The measure is polemic and has received 249 amendments from congresspeople.

Possession term
The PM authorizes the transference, without bidding processes, of land belonging to the Union with up to 1,500 hectares, in the Amazon, to those holding their possession since before December 2004. The internet user Raphael, from the Portal Amazônia, wanted to know what will happen to people who have settled in the land after that date. Asdrubal Bentes informed that, in his report, he waived that condition and extended the term to the enactment date of that law.

Bentes stresses that his report incorporates a huge effort on a dialogue: “in the last days I have almost not slept, negotiating with the main actors involved in that issue: congresspeople, federal and states bodies, the regional leaderships”, he affirmed.

Waived requirements
According to the MP’s text, corporations, civil servants and foreigners are not benefitted by that measure. When he was asked on the exclusion of those segments, Bentes affirmed that he does not see any reason for that. “Therefore, I am suppressing the article regarding those requirements”, he informed.

Environmental crises
Most of the chatters showed their worry on the possibility that the provisional measure encourages squattering and deforesting of the region, all kinds of environmental crimes and the disrespect to the legal reserve in the Amazon, which represents 80% of the properties’ area.

Bentes believes that the opposite will happen: The MP will inhibit deforesters and squatters. “Deforesting and environmental crimes have occurred due to the absence of the State”, ensures the deputy. “The non-compliance with legal devices regarding environmental legislation forbids people who committed those offenses to be accredited in loan-granting organizations, even if their possession titles are definitive”, he adds.

Legal Reserve
The deputy explained that there are two different situations related to the legal reserve. The first regards the settlements which happened before Law 4.771/96, which established a legal reserve of 50%. According to him, in that case, the possessions granted before 1996, provided that they are proved, should be respected. The ones granted after that date will have to comply with the reserve of 80%.

“Figureheads”
Another issue worrying the chatters would be how to avoid that the settlers be “figureheads” of other people, and that those would get more land than the amount provided for in the MP. “In all kinds of human activity, no matter how perfect the law regulating it is, human beings, especially Brazilians, always find a way; always find a gap to fulfill their interest. It is really very difficult to avoid figureheads”, admitted the congressman,

Three-year term for ecological zoning
The internet user Eder asked the congressman about the situation of areas where the ecological-economic zoning (ZEE) already exists, a study which would have verified locations that are apt to agriculture and in which conservation has no interest.

Bentes explained that ZEE should prevail in the states in which it has already been implemented. “However, most of the states haven’t approved it yet. Thus we are inserting in the MP an article obliging the states to implement the ZEE in a three-year term, under the penalty of being prohibited to close agreements with the Union”, stressed the deputy.

Economic exploitation
For the internet user João, the wealth generated by the preservation of the forest is much larger that Gross National Product (PIB) of the Amazon region, which, according to forecasts pointed by him, will have lost 40% of its forest covering by 2100. According to his evaluation, MP 458/09 does not consider any method of economic exploitation that would be ecologically correct, and allows traditional animal industry.

"We cannot think on Amazonia as constituted only by forests, Rivers and Indians”, replied Bentes.

The rapporteur reminded that the MP aims at regulating the settlements which already exist in the region, and measure from 1 to 15 fiscal modules. They will be inclusively obliged to reforest. “The reality in the Amazon is that there are millions of hectares of degraded land which needs some economic destination to assist its 25,000,000 inhabitants and to generate employment and revenue”, added the deputy. “Why not taking advantage of that degraded area for the development of the region by means of agribusiness, reforesting, etc.?”

 Report - Newton Araújo
Editing - Regina Céli Assumpção
Translation - Positive Idiomas Ltda