ブラジル大統領、マングローブ林の保護区指定撤回

【ブラジリアＡＦＰ＝時事】ブラジルのジャイル・ボルソナロ政権は28日、同国沿岸部のマングローブ林などの壊れやすい生態系を保護する規制を撤回した。環境活動家らは、環境破壊につながる「罪」だと非難している。（写真は資料写真）
　今回の決定は、同国大西洋沿岸に多い熱帯性のマングローブ林や「レスティンガ」と呼ばれる砂丘状の低木地を保護するため２００２年に設けられた「永久保護区」の指定を撤回するもの。
　環境活動家らは規制を撤回することでこれらの土地で開発が進み、生態系に壊滅的な被害を与えかねないと警告している。
　「これらの地域はすでに不動産開発による激しい圧力にさらされている」と語るのは、ブラジルの環境ＮＧＯ「ＳＯＳマタ・アトランティカ基金」の代表、マリオ・マントバーニ氏だ。同氏は「２００２年の規制は少なくともこれ以上の破壊を防ぐものだった」とした上で、その撤回は「社会に対する罪」だと糾弾した。
　極右のボルソナロ大統領が２０１９年１月に就任して以来、アマゾンの熱帯雨林や世界最大の湿原地帯パンタナルでは伐採と森林火災が急増している。
　今回の決定は、物議を醸すことの多いリカルド・サレス環境相も出席した国家環境委員会で下された。同委員会ではこの他、かんがい事業に義務付けられていた環境関連の許可申請の撤廃、セメント企業がコンクリートとして再生するための使用済み殺虫剤容器の焼却許可など、環境活動家らが非常に汚染度が高いと懸念する決定が下されている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/09/29-20:31）

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's government on Monday revoked regulations protecting mangroves and other fragile coastal ecosystems, in a measure environmentalists condemned as a crime that would lead to their destruction.
The decision eliminated so-called permanent protection zones created in 2002 to preserve Brazil's many tropical mangroves and the sand-dune scrublands known as restinga along its Atlantic coast.
Environmentalists warned that rolling back the regulations would open such lands up to development, with possibly catastrophic impact on their ecosystems.
These areas are already under intense pressure from real-estate development, said Mario Mantovani, head of environmental group SOS Mata Atlantica.
The 2002 regulations at least protected them from further destruction, he told AFP, calling their repeal a crime against society.
It is the latest in a series of environmental controversies for the far-right president, who has presided over a surge in deforestation and fires in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands since taking office in January 2019.
The decision was made at a meeting of the National Environmental Council (Conama), which is presided over by controversial Environment Minister Ricardo Salles.
The council brings together government officials, environmental groups and business associations, but the administration has dramatically changed its composition.
Last year, the government issued a decree reducing the number of council members from 96 to 23, giving its own members more weight.
In other decisions, the council also repealed a measure requiring environmental permits for irrigation projects and authorized cement companies to burn empty pesticide containers to recycle them in concrete, a practice environmentalists say is highly polluting.
Even as we witness record environmental devastation and Brazil is in flames, Salles dedicates his time to promoting even more destruction, environmental group Greenpeace said in a statement on the measures.
Salles has a knack for stirring up controversy.
In April, a video recording was made public of a Bolsonaro cabinet meeting at which the environment minister said the coronavirus pandemic was an opportunity to roll back regulations now that the media's only talking about Covid.