Ibama is already preparing the first license for economic exploration in an indigenous area.
Ibama is about to approve the first license that allows the exploitation of an economic activity with the potential to cause degradation in an indigenous area; the request for shrimp farming was made by about a thousand indigenous people of the Potiguara ethnicity, from a community on the north coast of Paraíba; the issue aligns with Jair Bolsonaro's campaign promise to open and expand economic exploitation in indigenous areas, including mining and the relaxation of environmental licensing requirements for such activities.
247 - The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) is about to approve the first environmental license that allows the exploitation of an economic activity with the potential for degradation in an indigenous area. The request to continue shrimp farming was made by about a thousand indigenous people of the Potiguara ethnicity, from a community on the northern coast of Paraíba.
Despite Ibama having received nine similar requests in the last three years, all made by indigenous communities, the issue aligns with Jair Bolsonaro's campaign promise to open up and expand economic exploitation in indigenous areas, including mining and relaxing environmental licensing requirements for such activities.
The increase in licensing requests from indigenous communities led to the creation, last year, during Michel Temer's government, of a working group to discuss the issue. In May 2018, a regulatory edition was published with guidelines for activities exempt from licensing, such as the production of preserves, cassava flour, and ceramics in areas of up to 500 square meters.
Since taking office, Bolsonaro has already implemented several changes regarding indigenous peoples. The main changes were the removal of Funai (National Indian Foundation) from the purview of the Ministry of Justice and its transfer to the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights.
The Bolsonaro government also removed the authority to demarcate indigenous areas from Funai, transferring it to the Special Secretariat for Land Affairs, linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, which is headed by the ruralist Luiz Nabhan Garcia.