UK can join the Amazon Fund, says British Minister Thérèse Coffey
- Indigenous communities have been particularly hard hit by the illegal mining that has surged along with deforestation in the Amazon under Bolsonaro.
The UK is considering joining the billion-dollar Amazon Fund reopened by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to fund sustainability in the rainforest, British Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Thérèse Coffey said.
” It’s something we are looking at seriously ,” Coffey told Reuters on Monday in Brasilia, where he attended Lula’s inauguration on Sunday, his first visit to Brazil.
One of Lula’s first decisions in office was to revoke Bolsonaro policies that weakened environmental protections and helped contribute to deforestation that reached a 15-year high, including a measure that encouraged mining on protected indigenous lands.
Thérèse said the UK has much to offer Brazil, including rural sustainability programs and low-carbon architecture to help mobilize funds from its strength as a global center for green finance.
Thérèse added that the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, invited her to visit the state to see projects in the rainforest.
With information from Agência Brasil.
