Amazon

On April 25, 2012, Brazil’s Congress passed legislation, referred to as the Forest Code, that strips the Amazon and other key regions of critical environmental protections and grants amnesty to individuals accused of past illegal deforestation. 

On May 7, 2012 the legislation was passed to Brazil’s President, Dilma Rousseff. She now has 15 working days to decide to sign it into national law or to apply veto power to the full text or parts of it. A decision will be made by no later than May 25, 2012.

What Do the Changes Mean for the Amazon?

The Amazon is home to the largest remaining rain forest in the world. Brazil's original Forest Code of 1965 established a proportion of rural land that should be maintained permanently as forest, and also prohibited the clearing of land in sensitive areas. Despite this history of protection, the changes to the Forest Code could have devastating impacts across Brazil.

WWF condemns the new Forest Code bill, driven by retrograde sectors of Brazil’s powerful agribusiness industry, for its failure to account for severe social and environmental costs. Since 2006, Brazil has demonstrated that it can dramatically reduce its rate of deforestation while increasing agricultural production and reducing poverty. This bill threatens hard-won gains for both the environment and Brazilian society.

“WWF looks to President Rousseff to resist the short-sighted and senseless reform to the forest law that has been passed by the Brazilian House of Representatives,” said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International.

How You Can Help

• Post this message to the President’s political party Facebook page: Dear President Dilma Rousseff, please save the rain forest and protect our climate. Veto the new Forest Code!
• Tweet this message: @ptbrasil Dear President Dilma Please save the rain forest & protect our climate. Veto the new Forest Code #VetaTudoDilma #SOSBrazil Pls RT