Environmental activists in Brazil and the governments of Norway and Germany on Friday welcomed a supreme court ruling that clears the path for Brazil's new government to relaunch a multibillion euro international programme aimed at protecting the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon Fund – created in 2008 to help the fight against deforestation – was suspended in April 2019 when President Jair Bolsonaro's ministers decided to revamp the way it operated.
But on Thursday night seven of the supreme court's 11 judges said the administration of newly elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva must return the Amazon Fund to its old operating structure before the end of January 2023.
The court said that the changes made to the fund's governance structure were unconstitutional.
'A big day'
A statement from the Observatorio do Clima described the decision as a big day.
"In yet another historic decision for climate protection and against the environmental dismantling promoted by the Bolsonaro regime, the supreme court condemned the federal government," it added.
Norway paid nearly 1.5 billion euros into the fund between 2008 and 2018 to finance sustainability projects and help reduce deforestation in the world's largest rainforest. Germany also donated nearly 70 million euros.
When he curtailed the work of the fund, Bolsonaro argued that commercial farming and mining were needed in the region to reduce poverty. Deforestation has surged since then, driven by illegal logging and gold mining.
As as response, Norway and Germany withdrew their support.
Heiko Thoms, Germany's ambassador to Brazil, hailed the supreme court's move on social media.
Thoms tweeted: "Norway and Germany welcome the supreme court decision on the Amazon Fund, which highlights once again that the Amazon Fund is the flagship of resources for climate and forest protection – and a global reference."
— Embaixador Heiko Thoms (@AmbBrasilia) November 3, 2022
Wide-reaching
Between 2009 and 2018, the fund invested 200 million euros in more than 100 projects run by public agencies and non-governmental organisations.
As well as assisting traditional communities and NGOs that operate in the region, the fund also provided aid to states and town councils for schemes to reduce deforestation and prevent fires.
Under its original format, fund managers wanted to use up to 20 percent of its resources to develop effective ways to check and control deforestation in other forests in Brazil and in neighbouring countries.
According to accountancy agencies in Brazil, the fund had about 640 million euros in unused funds to be allocated to new projects.
