Brazil's Environment Minister says the country cannot stop deforestation in the Amazon without the help of rich countries.
He also accused activists groups, without evidence, of having set fires in that region to undermine his administration.
Deforestation in the 12 months through July reached the highest annual rate in 11 years. Brazil's annual deforestation report released in November showed a nearly 30 per cent jump from the prior year in the Amazon, which lost 9760 square kilometres of forest. Salles said developed nations should help Brazil on the basis of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement signed in 2015 on tackling the effects of climate change. The article says monetary compensation mechanisms must be created to help developing countries.Brazil already receives money from wealthy nations, namely Germany and Norway, to fight deforestation in the vast Amazon rainforest. Norway alone has donated $US1.2 billion to Brazil's Amazon Fund since its creation in 2008.
Salles in the past has questioned the fund's effectiveness. He said in the interview that Brazil is negotiating with the two European countries to restart the program. He said they exchanged draft documents, and he expects them to meet next week to discuss new terms of the fund.He said the government is putting a new emphasis on balancing protection with efforts to develop biological resources that can provide livings for people in the Amazon region.
"If we don't solve the economic development for more than 20 million Brazilians who live there and people who need to have this sustainable, from both a financial and environmental perspective, they will be easily co-opted by illegal activities," Salles said. "It is a huge effort to attract the private sector to participate."
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Coles has shown its true colours': Minister blasts supermarket on milk drought levyDrought Minister David Littleproud has called for shoppers to boycott Coles over what he calls the supermarket's 'low act' of failing to pass on a levy for struggling dairy farmers.
Read more »
Leading Liberal MP Mary Wooldridge quits, asks party to consider gender quotas'We're having good women standing for preselection and not being chosen' vicpol
Read more »
There's a way to stop solar power overwhelming the grid — but it comes at a costThe body that runs WA's main electricity market wants the ability to remotely dump excess solar power from households to help avoid rolling power cuts.
Read more »
Tassal told to 'put their money where their mouth is' and fund pipeline shortfallThe mayor of Glamorgan Spring Bay Council reveals it is considering borrowing $600k to complete the pipeline contract with Tassal.
Read more »
'Smallest ICAC in history': corruption watchdog warns of job cuts without more fundingThe corruption watchdog says it will be forced to shed 31 full-time jobs – a quarter of its workforce – by 2021 unless it receives a funding boost.
Read more »
'Systemic issues': First Super threatens to drop fund manager over workplace claimsThe $3 billion industry fund is threatening to drop a global equities manager over an investment in a company facing claims of systemic workplace violations.
Read more »