FED UP with people flouting Brazil鈥檚 environmental laws, the government鈥檚 green watchdog Ibama has begun a campaign to persuade people to take them seriously. Operation Penalty aims to clear a huge backlog of cases against environmental offenders and collect unpaid fines, which probably amount to some 拢285 million. lbama says this will be enough to end its chronic financial problems.
For the past two months, Ibama offices around Brazil have been sifting through outstanding cases. They have unearthed 115 000 cases so far, but Ibama believes the total could reach 150 000. Of these, 42 172 offenders have been ordered to pay fines totalling 拢57 million 鈥� only a tenth of which has been collected.
Ibama鈥檚 financial director, Zila Soares Ribeiro, said the agency hopes to recoup the remainder by the end of the year. The biggest single fine was 拢1.78 million, which was slapped on the J. Ferreira timber company in Par谩, northern Brazil. Ibama has taken on 150 independent lawyers to cope with offenders who take their cases to court.
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The most common crimes are illegal forestry, use of charcoal as fuel by industries, dumping of toxic substances and illegal mining. The largest number of cases were in the states of Rondonia and Par谩, both on the edge of the Amazon basin.
Environmentalists have often criticised Brazil for failing to enforce its legislation. 鈥淯ntil now, people have been fined, not paid and nothing has happened to them,鈥� admits Ribeiro. 鈥淲e want the public to know that when they damage the environment, they will be penalised.鈥�
Ribeiro says that 60 per cent of the money raised by the campaign will pay for more inspectors and better equipment for Ibama. Most of the remainder will be spent on running the country鈥檚 beleaguered national parks.