MST collects signatures in campaign against the exclusion of Mato Grosso from the Legal Amazon.
With Arthur Lira's approval, a bill that would allow increased deforestation in the state is being expedited through the Chamber of Deputies.
Murilo Pajolla, Brazil of Fact - The Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) has launched a petition against the exclusion of the state of Mato Grosso from the so-called Legal Amazon. To participate in the "Mato Grosso in the Amazon" campaign, simply read the manifesto and fill out an online form. Click here to access it.
The initiative of the rural caucus could be realized with the approval by Congress of Bill 337/2022, which is being processed in the Chamber of Deputies. With the endorsement of the House Speaker, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), the matter is proceeding swiftly and has already been distributed to the relevant committees before going to a vote in the plenary.
According to researchers and environmentalists, the intention behind the initiative is to increase the percentage of deforestation allowed on rural properties in the state, Brazil's main producer of grains and meat.
According to the Forest Code, properties in the Amazon biome must maintain 80% of their original vegetation preserved, the so-called Legal Reserve. If the project is approved, the mandatory preservation percentage in Mato Grosso will drop to 20%.
"If approved, this bill will jeopardize the territory of Mato Grosso in all dimensions of sustainability, aggravating processes of savannaization in forest areas, and making changes to the vegetation of the Cerrado itself," says the MST campaign manifesto.
The justification is invalid, says expert.
Besides Mato Grosso, which has half of its territory within the Amazon biome, the Legal Amazon is composed of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins, and part of Maranhão.
According to the bill's rapporteur, federal deputy Neri Geller (PP-MT), the project "will enable the expansion of our agricultural frontier to meet the increased national and international demand for food."
The argument is refuted by the Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV). According to the environmental NGO, what is actually at stake is the expansion of agricultural commodity production.
“A large portion of the food consumed in Mato Grosso comes from São Paulo. So the topic being discussed is not 'food production',” points out Alice Thuault, executive director of ICV. In her view, it's a myth that agribusiness needs more land to increase production.
"Hunger is a real problem. More than 55% of Brazilian households experience some degree of food insecurity. To end this, it is necessary to work on access to food and invest in the production of healthy foods, not commodities," he states.