Environment Minister Ricardo Salles suspended surveillance at the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve (Resex) in Acre after meeting with five local environment offenders on November 6.

At the time, in Brasilia, the group complained about the alleged truculence of agents of ICMBio, an agency linked to the ministry that monitors conservation units.

Environment Minister Ricardo Salles (Foto: Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress) - Folhapress

One of those present at the meeting, the land grabber Rodrigo Oliveira Santos, threatened in 2013 an ICMBio servant who had fined him for deforestation of 69 hectares in Resex.

Acrian parliamentarians brokered the hearing. Two of them are preparing a bill to reduce the Chico Mendes reserve by 19,000 hectares (2% of the total).

Without inspectors, environmental crime continues. This year alone, the reserve has already lost 74.5 km2 (7,450 hectares) of the forest, according to Inpe data - a 203% increase over 2018.

When sought, Salles did not respond to questions.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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