NGOs ask CAR to stay at the Ministry of the Environment – 05/16/2023 – Environment

A note signed by 120 organizations, including social movements, NGOs, political groups and universities, calls for the maintenance of the CAR (Rural Environmental Registry) at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. The protest takes place amid the possibility of the system returning to the Agriculture portfolio of the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

Responsibility for the CAR is part of a dispute over the provisional measure that reorganized the structure of the ministries. According to the organizations, the change of registration to the MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock) would represent a return to the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The group says that the period was marked by the stoppage of the installation of the National Rural Environmental Registry System and by the reduction of transparency. It also criticizes the lack of implementation of the Forest Code. Report by Sheet showed that only 2% of analyzes were completed by April of this year.

“The result will be greater difficulty in preventing and combating deforestation, reducing the agility of environmental agencies, obstacles to carrying out remote assessments and tracking production chains”, says the text.

“The system was developed by the federal bodies of the National Environmental System to support environmental control and help prevent and combat deforestation. It is CAR’s mission that is highlighted in the 2012 Forestry Code”, highlights Suely Araújo, specialist senior in public policies at the Climate Observatory, one of the signatories of the note, and former president of Ibama.

The dispute between the government and the Agricultural Parliamentary Front has already caused some signs about the future of the environmental agenda in management. recent report by Sheet found that the Lula government must give in to requests related to Conab (National Supply Company), CAR (Rural Environmental Registry) and one of Lula’s main promises on the environmental and indigenous front, the demarcation of indigenous lands.

CAR migrated, with the reorganization of the structure of the Lula government, to the portfolio led by Marina Silva. Behind the scenes, there is also a proposal for the registration to remain formally in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, but with divided attributions.

“Considering the innumerable and constant attempts on the part of the ruralists to weaken the legislation related to the CAR and the Forestry Code, it does not seem to be a coincidence the pressure they have exerted for this management to return to their hands”, stated Luiza Lima, spokeswoman for Greenpeace public policies.

During participation in an online seminar of the Sheet this Monday afternoon (15), minister Marina Silva said that the change would be part of an inadequate view of the register, and that this sends a wrong message about Brazil’s commitments.

“It’s not just a rural registry, it’s a rural environmental registry. When the Minister of Agriculture [Carlos Fávaro] says he prefers it to stay in the Environment, it’s because he read the legislation.”

“In this sense, ruralists who have an inadequate view, in my opinion, will make the agreement with Mercosur difficult, because they send a message of neglect of Brazil’s commitment, within the scope of the Paris Agreement, to reduce CO2 emissions._² and to eliminate deforestation”, completed Marina.

_{The Planeta em Transe project is supported by the Open Society Foundations.}