Wilson Lima defends conservation of 97% of forest cover in Amazonas

Dubai – In his first official agenda at the 28th United Nations Conference on Climate Change, Governor Wilson Lima highlighted, this Saturday (2), Brazil’s challenge of transforming the commercialization of carbon credits into benefits for the population. During a panel that included the participation of the Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, the governor presented State initiatives focused on the environmental area, in addition to basic sanitation and access to treated water.

Wilson Lima stated that the challenges facing Amazonas to advance in a sustainable economy are, mainly, the protection of the Amazon biome, socioeconomic development and coping with large territorial distances. With 1.5 million square kilometers, the State invests in actions to expand access to basic sanitation, drinking water and develop sustainable tourism.

“We have the largest extension of continuous forest on the planet and our state has 97% of it preserved, this is a very important asset that we have, but now the big question is this: how do we transform this into a benefit in for the benefit of our population?” asked Wilson Lima.

He added that Amazonas is interested in preserving the forest, but that green commodities need to have real value. He also highlighted that conservation discourses do not include citizens and that he is concerned that the sale of carbon credits benefits owners of large lands and not residents of sustainable development areas.

For this to be avoided, an alternative is that carbon market regulation needs to guarantee states their own REDD+ mechanisms, an instrument developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to financially reward developing countries for their related results. to the recovery and conservation of its forests.

The governor’s speech took place during the Green States panel, under the theme “The experience and challenges of State Governments in implementing a model of sustainable economic development that prioritizes the quality of life of citizens”, with the presence of other Brazilian governors, the State Secretary for the Environment, Eduardo Taveira, businesspeople and students.

The governor of Rondônia, Marcos Rocha, was also present at the meeting. COP 28 is held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Sanitation, Tourism and Good Water

When it comes to sanitation, a reference from the State Government is the Social and Environmental Program of Igarapés de Manaus (Prosamin), which benefited 72.9 thousand families. As of 2021, the program will be implemented in Manaus and the Interior (Prosamin+), and should benefit 127 thousand people, with investments of R$420.3 million.

Within this context, the Integrated Sanitation Program (Prosai) brought 50% sanitation coverage to Maués (276 kilometers from Manaus) and will urbanize an area at risk of flooding in Parintins (369 kilometers from the capital). Both made in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

In tourism, another highlight of the governor is the investment of R$120 million since 2019 in the sector, with the increase in the number of flights, including international routes with a direct route to the United States and Colombia. In the first half of 2023, almost 180 thousand tourists visited Amazonas and revenue from the activity reached R$420 million, with 35 thousand people working directly or indirectly in the sector.

The State is moving forward with the Água Boa project, with the installation of simplified water collection and treatment systems, which capture and purify water from rivers, lakes or wells, leaving it suitable for consumption. The project has already installed 505 purifiers in 53 of the state’s 62 municipalities, benefiting 45 thousand families.

Amazonas at COP 28

Over the next four days, Governor Wilson Lima will carry out an intense schedule of meetings with businesspeople, representatives of financial institutions and other Brazilian states and countries, seeking to reinforce investments for sustainable development in the state.

The main commitment is the launch of the Amazonas 2030 Program to reduce deforestation in the state, which will be implemented with resources raised from the sale of carbon credits. The objective is to achieve zero net deforestation in the state in the next six years.

*With information from consultancy

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