The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, asked the Armed Forces for aircraft to reinforce the fight against forest fires in the Legal Amazon between the months of September and November.
The minister states that support is necessary due to outbreaks located in isolated areas.
According to Marina, the two institutes that have responsibilities related to combating fires — the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) — “are already operating at full capacity with its available means, it is imperative to immediately expand resources and infrastructure to combat forest fires”.
HAS CNNthe president of Ibama, Rodrigo Agostinho, stated that he spoke with the Ministry of Defense team, who committed to making more equipment available. At the moment, the institute uses 10 rented helicopters, 13 water-dropping planes and more than 100 firefighting brigades.
The letter was sent to the Ministry of Defense this Wednesday (10).
The request reinforces the need for aircraft to transport brigade members in at least three regions:
- the Xingu and Araguaia complex, in the states of Mato Grosso and Tocantins;
- southern Amazonas and Rondônia;
- in addition to the BR-163 axis, in Pará.
