Brazil’s Amazons Policy during the Bolsonaro Era

Abstract

Brazil is home to most of the Amazon rainforests, one of the world’s largest and most important forest lands. The Amazons’ natural resources, its size and the economic potential make it an important factor in the Brazilian politics. Starting from the colonial period, the use of the Amazon forests has been one of the priority issues of the governments that came to power. Not only in terms of economic and commercial activities, but also the rights of the indigenous cultures and the protection of endemic species keep Amazons in the agenda of both Brazil’s and the international arena. The Amazons that are regarded as a source for economic development and that have been destroyed for a very long time, are currently at a greater risk since Jair Bolsonaro came to power as the President of Brazil in 2019.
In this study, the policies applied in the past and present in Brazil regarding the Amazon forests are briefly explained and the policies of the Bolsonaro government on this issue and the results of these policies are analyzed. Adopting a populist and authoritarian management style, Bolsonaro made legal and administrative arrangements for the Amazon forests as soon as he came to power. Bolsonaro tried to present his policies within the scope of Brazil's independence and economic development, thus undermining the Amazons’ significance for the rights of indigenous peoples and its ecological value. This study examines Bolsonaro’s discourse and his claims about the Amazons. It is argued in this study that the Amazon forests cannot be evaluated solely within the scope of Brazilian sovereignty and economic development. The importance of Amazons in terms of global climate crisis and the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights, goes well beyond the Bolsonaro’s populist rhetoric.

Keywords

• Brazil
• Amazon Forests
• Jair Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro Döneminde Brezilya’nın Amazonlar Politikası

Abstract

Brezilya, dünyanın en geniş ve en önemli orman arazilerinden biri olan Amazon Yağmur Ormanları’nın büyük bölümüne ev sahipliği yapmaktadır. Amazon Ormanları barındırdığı doğal kaynaklar, büyüklüğü ve ekonomik potansiyeli nedeniyle Brezilya siyasetinde önemli bir faktör olarak görülmektedir. Sömürgecilik döneminden başlayarak Amazonların kullanımı işbaşına gelen yönetimlerin öncelikli konularından biri olmuştur. Sadece ekonomik ve ticari faaliyetler değil, bölgedeki yerli toplulukların hakları ve endemik türlerin korunması da Amazonları hem Brezilya’da hem de uluslararası arenada gündemde tutmaktadır. Brezilya’da ekonomik gelişmenin kaynağı olarak görülen ve uzun süredir tahrip edilen ormanlar, 2019 yılında Jair Bolsonaro’nun devlet başkanı olarak göreve başlamasının ardından daha büyük risk altına girmiştir.
Bu çalışmada, Brezilya’nın geçmişte ve günümüzde Amazon Ormanları’na yönelik politikaları kısaca açıklandıktan sonra, Bolsonaro hükümetinin bu konudaki uygulamaları ve ortaya çıkan sonuçlar analiz edilmiştir. Popülist ve otoriter bir yönetim tarzı benimseyen Bolsonaro, başkan seçilmesinin ardından Amazonlara yönelik birtakım yasal ve idari düzenlemeler yapmış ve bu politikaların Brezilya’nın bağımsızlığı ve ekonomik gelişmesi kapsamında uygulandığı söylemiyle yerli halkların haklarını ve Amazonların ekolojik değerini geri plana itmiştir. Çalışmada özellikle Bolsonaro’nun Amazonlara dair söylemleri incelenerek bölgeyle ilgili düzenlemelerin Bolsonaro’nun iddia ettiği şekilde sadece Brezilya’nın ekonomik kalkınması ve egemenlik hakları kapsamında değerlendirilemeyeceği ileri sürülmektedir. Küresel iklim krizi ve yerli halkların haklarının korunması bağlamında Amazonların sahip olduğu değer Bolsonaro’nun popülist söyleminin ötesine geçmektedir.

Keywords

• Brezilya
• Amazon Ormanları
• Jair Bolsonaro

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