Bolsonaro's Decree Allowing Logging on Amazon is Revoked

On Monday, Indigenous Peoples Minister Sonia Guajajara announced that the administration of President Lula da Silva revoked a decree issued by Jair Bolsonaro, which allowed logging on Indigenous reserves.

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This decision will protect Brazilian biomes and reaffirms the government's commitment to the protection of Indigenous territories, which occupy 13.8 percent of the national territory.

The annulled decree was issued in December, a few days before Bolsonaro left power and flew to the United States, where he is currently residing while the Brazilian courts process various lawsuits against him.

The 2022 Normative Instruction 12, which referred to the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) and the Brazilian Institute of the Environment (IBAMA), facilitated the exploitation of timber resources on Indigenous lands", Guajajara said when announcing the revocation, adding that she will not allow "more setbacks" for Indigenous rights.

The tweet reads, "Brazil: IPAM study indicates that Indigenous lands that are home to isolated peoples are the most threatened in the Amazon."

Bolsonaro's decree allowed the commercial use of the wood extracted by both the Indigenous economic agents and companies formed with the participation of private shareholders.

The measure was revoked the same day it was expected to come into force. The Lula administration seeks to prevent any company from taking advantage of the norm to legalize wood illegally extracted in recent weeks.

During his electoral campaign, Lula da SIlva promised to overthrow Bolsonaro's decree, which had received strong criticism from public officials and jurists since this norm violated constitutional norms related to the protection of nature and Indigenous peoples.