I was quite a startled by what they felt they could put in to their advert and felt the need therefore to write a response. I cannot find any statistics to tell me how many people have watched this video but for some reason I have been shown it many times over the last few days (it is easy to find on YouTube).
It is very like any advert for wild places that many countries will put out a different times. It talks about it’s forests, clean rivers and it’s wildlife. Late in the video with specifically lists the advantages of doing business with Brazil and the first of these is that it is ‘environmentally aware and sustainable”.
The current president Bolsorano has promised to do away with all this, he is granting amnesty to people who have illegally cleared land has given the title deeds for that land to those people, and is in every other way undoing what protections Brazil has for its natural world including destroying non-governmental and government bodies that fight for the protection of the forest.
Indeed one of his first moves was to merge Forestry with farming under his government. Given that these two directly compete for land and that the Predators living in the forests are killed off so they wont predate domestic animals placed nearby, this does not work well.
Do not be hoodwinked!
I almost feel that the only way to hit Brazil hard enough off is to boycott the country. It is unlikely that we will be able to have a big enough impact, however regular called the lungs of the world, Brazil rain forests are of incredible importance for all of us. It should also be noted that while Bolsonaro came to power talking about improving the living standards of everyone he has also been very clear who he includes in everyone. His Brazil is for the Descendants of Europeans, all other people do not matter.
Indeed one of his first moves is to attempt to remove the rights for all indigenous Forest people of Brazil. Apart from the incredible damage that will be done TO these peoples who have often lived in the forests for millennia, the removal of these people will allow the land to be deforested and wildlife destroyed.
We must stand up and make it clear that we will not stay quiet and watch the Brazilian rain forest be destroyed. Bolsonaro models himself after Trump, but in his country attempt to stay in power against democracy are likely to be far easier. The opposition in Brazil must know that they are supported, if the president is not kicked out of office at the very latest at the end of his first term it is likely there will be little Brazilian rain forest left ( and 70 to 80% of the amazonian rain forest is contained within in the Brazilian countries border).
Seeing a Jaguar deep in the Brazilian rain forest is one of the dreams for many wildlife enthusiasts. It also has the potential to add billions to the Brazilian economy, and due to the reliance on wild places this money will go to parts of the country that has got little else. This is aside from the benefits it gives the economy, by controlling the environment and causing rain. I for one I want the Jaguar to survive in the forests of South America, helping to protect one of the last great ecosystems in the world.