Lula, the former President of Brazil, has urged his government to take immediate action in the Amazon to combat organized crime. The destruction of the world’s largest tropical rainforest is a significant threat, and Lula believes that it is crucial to establish an international police center in Manaus as soon as possible. He expressed frustration that it took over a year to launch a security plan for the Amazon, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
During an event where a financing agreement for the security plan was signed, Lula emphasized that time was running out. He said: “We have to speed up the process because my mandate only lasts four years. If we don’t implement this plan, someone else will come and do nothing.” The funds for the security plan come from the Amazon Fund, established by Norway to support sustainability and combat illegal logging in the region.
The Amazon Security Plan is the first project sponsored by the Amazon Fund to address crime that contributes to environmental damage in the region. Eight Amazon basin countries will join forces with an international police center established in Manaus. The center aims to gather information and coordinate law enforcement efforts using helicopters, river patrol boats, and 34 bases to be established across the Amazon.
Illegal logging, gold mining, and drug smuggling routes passing through the Amazon have led to systematic destruction of the rainforest. Since Lula became president, Brazil has successfully reduced deforestation in the Amazon by 50%, but much work remains to be done to protect this precious ecosystem and combat organized crime in its region fully.
