WILD OPINION

MY WAY OF THINKING MARK CARWARDINE The conservationist discusses Jair Bolsonaro’s actions concerning the and invites your thoughts on the subject.

t’s shocking to realise that, no promptly dismantled The world Bolsonaro for crimes against humanity. matter how many campaigns environmental The UN-backed court recently added are fought, treaties signed or regulations, reduced has a stake in environmental crimes to its remit protected areas established, environmental law the future of (along with genocide and war crimes), the future of life on Earth enforcement, stripped though if this isn’t a crime against rests, to a large extent, with a protection from the Amazon humanity, goodness knows what is. Ihandful of irresponsible, irrational conservation areas and I understand that ‘owning’ a rainforest.  and ignorant individuals. indigenous territories, significant portion of the Amazon Environmental decisions that are and actively encouraged rainforest is both a blessing and a critical to the entire planet are made the expansion of mining, curse. If the rest of the world wants on a whim. Donald Trump did it for logging and other damaging it to be safeguarded, it wouldn’t be climate change (just for starters) and industries. Rates of unreasonable to expect the rest of the now ’s President Jair Bolsonaro have soared in the two years since. world to contribute financially. But I is doing it for the Amazon rainforest. By the Brazilian government’s feel Bolsonaro’s conduct is inexcusable. The Amazon is home to the largest own estimates, 17–18 per cent of the The ICC opens a monumental rainforest on Earth. Covering 40 per Amazon rainforest has gone already window of opportunity. Bolsonaro cent of the South American continent, (not including large swathes that are isn’t the only world leader who could it spans no fewer than eight countries more or less intact, but degraded) be accused of ecocide (deliberately (nine, if you include French Guiana, with 1 per cent more being cleared causing serious and lasting damage a department of ). The most every three years. We are hurtling to the environment). species-rich biome on Earth – with towards an irreversible tipping point Next in the dock, I’d put China’s one in ten of all known species – it’s – predicted to be about 20–25 per cent President Xi Jinping for, among many also a critical carbon storehouse. destruction – when the region will other things, continuing to allow trade Yet this life-support machine has enter what one expert describes as in wild animals on a staggering scale (a been plundered and destroyed for “a sustained death spiral”. global risk to wildlife and human health decades. Clearing to make room for The whole world has a stake in the alike – as we’ve learnt to our cost in the cattle and crops, logging for timber future of the Amazon rainforest, and past 18 months). and paper, mining, dam construction, Bolsonaro needs to be held accountable. It’s got to be better than campaigning road building and urban expansion The good news is that two indigenous and cajoling – which takes too long and are all to blame. chiefs in Brazil clearly agree. Almir clearly doesn’t work. It seems as though Destruction peaked in the late Suruí and Raoni Metuktire have asked the Trumps, Bolsonaros and Jinpings of 1990s and early 2000s, when an the International Criminal Court this world don’t care about anything but area the size of Israel and Palestine (ICC) in The Hague to investigate themselves. Making these enemies of combined was being cleared every the environment personally responsible year. The devastation never stopped, for their crimes might make them but it did slow down for a decade or think twice before causing irreversible so, following international pressure damage that affects us all. and a concerted effort by the Brazilian government (Brazil controls 59 per MARK CARWARDINE is a frustrated and cent of the rainforest). frank conservationist. Then along came Bolsonaro, in January 2019. The man WHAT DO YOU THINK? If you dubbed ‘Tropical Trump’ seems Jair Bolsonaro has want to support Mark in his views to show nothing but contempt caused controversy or shoot him down in flames, email since becoming

Rodrigo Paiva/Getty Rodrigo for the environment and he [email protected] president of Brazil.

Spring 2021 BBC Wildlife 27