2. The murder in 2011 of José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do
Espírito Santo hit international headlines. Both were environmental
activists in the northern Brazilian state of Pará. Their deaths drew
comparisons with other prominent campaigners who were killed in
the Amazon basin, including Dorothy Stagg in 2005 and Brazilian
trade unionist and environmental campaigner Chico Mendes
(Francisco Alves Mendes Filho) in 1988.
Da Silva and Santo had been supporting three families occupying
primary forest that had been bought by José Rodrigues Moreira
with the intention of turning it into cattle pastures. The two hired
killers recently received sentences of more than 40 years each.
Moreira, standing trial for ordering the killings, was released.
3. Da Silva had been cited by human rights groups as at risk
of assassination since 2008, and predicted his death six
months before the event. Despite repeated death threats
made to da Silva, no police protection was granted.
In 2011, 32 environmentalists were killed in Brazil,
according to the Guardian. In Pará, predominantly
comprised of Amazonian forest, 231 were killed between
1996 and 2010, according to Brazilian NGO, the Pastoral
Land Commission (CPT). “Violence is the instrument of
local capitalism. They [landowners] are proud to kill and
they’re seen by some as local heroes for defending their
property with blood”, said Brazilian commentator Filipe
Milanez.
4. The Brazilian government has taken no real action to stop the
‘wild west’ agricultural capitalists in Pará. The Guardian reports
that many of these, alongside speculators, are moving in to
different states, such as Amazonas. According to the CPT, 918
environmentalists have been killed between 1985 and April 2011,
but trials were only held in 27 instances. Chico Mendes’s killer had
sent him death threats, and another state had an arrest warrant
out on him for murder. Mendes informed the police of this. They
took no action.
The Amazon ecological system, or biome, covers 6.7 million
square kilometers, and plays an immensely important role. It
makes up half the planet’s remaining rainforests, and 10% of the
world’s known species, many of which are not found elsewhere.
There is an estimated population of 2.7 million indigenous people,
making up around 350 ethnic groups. The biome is spread over
nine countries. However, 60% is in Brazil.
5. The Amazon basin is a large part of the carbon cycle. From the
1980s to 2004, it absorbed 1.5-2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide
(CO2 – a major greenhouse gas) a year, making it an important
carbon sink. In contrast, roughly three quarters of Brazil’s
greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation through
burning and rotting. The biome has a key effect on regional and
global weather systems and is, in turn, impacted by changes
elsewhere.
