How to Protect Forest Defenders in Brazil

The violence linked to environmental degradation in the Amazon briefly took the spotlight this year as news of the killings of indigenous rights lawyer Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Philips spread around the world. But the candidates for the Oct. 2 election ignored pressing human rights issues such as how to protect forest defenders or address the root causes of such violence. Candidates running for president and governor in the Oct. 30 runoff should let the voters know how they plan to address these challenges if elected.

In recent years, the government has scaled back environmental law enforcement, and the proliferation of illegal deforestation, mining and land grabs has revealed the strength of criminal networks that intimidate, threaten and target those who stand in their way. The nonprofit Pastoral Land Commission (CPT, in Portuguese) estimates that more than 60 people have been killed in conflicts over natural resources and land in the Brazilian Amazon since January 2020.

These alarming numbers should have prompted Brazil to put in place a comprehensive plan to protect forest defenders, involving all levels of government. Instead, there is a hodgepodge of uncoordinated and inadequate efforts. In May 2021, a court ordered the government to develop a national plan to protect human rights defenders, but that has not happened. Brazil needs stronger agencies working together to enforce environmental laws, fight land grabs and prosecute those who destroy the forest and attack defenders, including criminal groups operating in the Amazon.

Brazil has had a federal human rights protection program since 2004. As of July, 87 people have been cared for, with a further 55 cases pending. The program offers some protection, such as B. regular telephone contact, police patrols and escorts. But many defenders say the protection is woefully inadequate.

And many defenders find it hard to trust the program, which is housed within the Department of Family, Women and Human Rights while the federal government enacts policies that facilitate environmental degradation and effectively empower criminal groups in the Amazon. The number of people who applied for the program has fallen from 63 in 2018 to 28 in 2021, according to official figures.

Some states have their own programs. In these areas, the federal program partially funds conservation efforts. About 400 people had state-level protections in 2021, while another 90 were pending applications, the latest available data.

The department’s director of protection and defense of human rights, who oversees the federal program, told Human Rights Watch that state programs are better suited to protecting defenders because they have a better understanding of the situation on the ground and can more easily mobilize state law enforcement agencies to provide protection.

But only three of the nine states in the Amazon – where most of Brazil’s conflicts over land and resources take place – have their own programs. For example, the state of Amazonas — where Pereira and Philips were murdered — signed an agreement with the federal program to establish its program four years ago and has federal funds. However, the director of the federal program said in June that the Amazon program had not yet provided protection.

Neighboring Pará state has an operational program, but some defenders tell me it offers little useful protection — sometimes no more than regular checks. One said he had to pay for gas for the police car meant to protect him. And defense attorneys sometimes fear or mistrust cops for fear they may be involved with the criminal groups that threaten them.

Both federal and state programs are said to be able to mobilize police, prosecutors, environmental agencies, and other state and federal agencies to assist defenders, but those agencies don’t always respond. An additional challenge is making quick arrangements to ensure defenders have immediate access to medical care, psychological support and other services that are very important for them to continue their work as defenders.

Brazil should also offer collective protections for vulnerable communities such as indigenous peoples and other rural communities threatened by people involved in illegal mining, logging and land grabs. Colombia has been exploring these types of approaches for years, including providing vehicles and cellphones to indigenous defenders who protect their territory and the environment.

Many Amazon defenders told us they would prefer these collective measures, which they believe could reduce attacks on outspoken leaders while improving security for families, associations and entire communities.

The government also needs to improve coordination between its agencies. Defender safety should not be viewed as the exclusive responsibility of state and federal protection programs. They need the support of the rest of the government.

Candidates elected at the federal and state levels should commit to strengthening Brazil’s protection programs, including by allocating adequate resources. Federal and state programs must train officials, establish clear risk assessment methods and criteria, and guarantee that information about forest conservationists is kept confidential. You should also listen to local organizations and defenders on how they can improve protection.

Long-term protection also requires a national system to resolve the underlying conflicts that lead to threats, attacks and killings.

Brazil’s elected officials should draft and implement policies to deal with the Amazon’s environmental crisis and protect forest defenders.

* A shorter version of this article was published in Folha de São Paulo