Ministry creates committee to Code

* Published in the IPAM website at 3/22/2013

During the plenary this week (19/03) of the National Environmental Council (CONAMA) the Minister of Environment, Izabella Teixeira announced that it will create a committee with the participation of civil society organizations to monitor and discuss with the states, municipalities and private actors the implementation of the New Forest Code.

The creation of this committee is a response from the Ministry of Environment to the proposal made by IPAM and the Institute The Law for a Green Planet, in November 2012, to create a CONAMA’s Advisory Group to monitor the regulation and implementation of plans Environmental regulation (PRA) provided by Article 59 of law 12,651 approved in May 2012 (New Forest Code).

The deadline for entry into force of the PRA in the states is May 26, 2013, renewable for another year. Considering this period some civil society organizations, among them the IPAM, WWF, CI, the ICV, the SOS Atlantic Forest, Apremavi and the GTA will be creating, on May 21 next, at a seminar in the Chamber of Deputies, the “Observatory of the Forest Code” which aims to monitor the implementation of the new law and to act to prevent further setbacks occur under the pretext of implementing the new law.

The advisor for Public Policy IPAM and CONAMA member by IDPV, André Lima, strengthened during the plenary CONAMA it is essential that this committee has members appointed by CONAMA itself, which with the participation of social-environmentalists organizations and interested sectors and be open and transparent in their agendas, debates and deliberations. It strengthened although this committee should be created before the first anniversary of the law that will take place on May 26 next to the desmonstrar real interest in that fact that it meets its objectives.

The concern of IDPV, IPAM, and others proposing organizations Observatory of the Forest Code, externalized in CONAMA’s Plenary by André Lima is the Environmental Regularization programs should establish clear guidelines, with deadlines and targets, to face the new illegal deforestation (occurring after July 2008) and should also indicate the tools for the transparent definition and science-based areas and watersheds with reviews deforestation rates where flexibilities to the recovery of APP, Legal reserve compensation and use areas of consolidation illegally deforested suffer restrictions. The PRA should also offer concrete measures for economic and tax incentives to farmers that has been fulfilling the previous Act.

Without an official national body and open monitoring, public, participatory and transparent about the implementation of the Forest Code is certain that only the amnesties and flexibilities will reach the ground. IPAM expects the Committee is in fact created and fulfilled in order to have a broad and real social control and establish social pacts necessary for deforestation in the country is under control, there is legal certainty for rural production and vulnerable rural areas (especially the permanent preservation) performing essential ecological role are restored. 
* By André Lima, lawyer, Adviser for Public Policy IPAM and alternate member of the Institute CONAMA The Law for a Green Planet.