Scientists criticized proposals on changes on Forest Code (Bill number 4.771/65) at the Chamber on a debate performed by the Deputies of Environmentalist Parliamentary Front on last Wednesday (26), which has been under analysis at Legislative House. Jean Paul Metzger, doctor in Landscape Ecology and professor at Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), has presented a scientific study on points under analysis, for a possible code reformulation.

Unlike what agribusiness has been proposing, he defended, for instance, an increasing of permanent protection areas width (APPs) along the rivers, from the current 20 meters to at least, 100 meters.

According to him, only this way APPs are going to contribute for environmental conservation. Metzger also criticized code relaxation proposals related to APPs joint possibility with legal reserve areas, in order to release more space for agricultural expansion. “From the biological point of view, this is an absurd, because those two areas have totally distinctive functions. APPs protect soils, water resources and sensitive areas, when the legal reserve has got a function much more protective of biodiversity and natural sustainable resources use. We must not mix both things", he emphasized.

Gerd Spavorek, doctor in Agricultural Sciences and professor of USP, has defended the current environmental law maintenance. According to him, Forest Code can be applied in a more rigorous way, without interfering into Agribusiness interests.

At Parliamentary Front Coordinator, Deputy Sarney Filho’s evaluation, these specialists’ opinions have given a new focus on the arguments analysis that agriculturalists have been presenting as a scientific basis to change the law.

Enlarged debate
Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Mário Guise, has complained about some scientific areas that had been apart of the debate around code changes. "There has been a kind of bias at the information collecting process to subsidize the code reformulation. It is necessary “to listen to biologists who will tell us areas size in need to be preserved.”

Deputy Ricardo Tripoli has also defended the debate expansion. “It is fundamental to hear the scientific world, the Judiciary and the Public Defense Office”, he suggested.

A Chamber’s Special Committee has analyzed changing proposals or Forest Code revocation. The Parliamentary Front wants to show, however, that is possible to produce or preserve the environment keeping respect to this law.

Translation - Grupo Solucion-SP Language/Márcia Regina Monteiro Ferreira