Ibama receives R$825.7 million from the Amazon Fund to strengthen fight against illegal deforestation

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Tuesday (3) the allocation of R$825.7 million from the Amazon Fund to the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). This is the largest individual disbursement ever made by the fund and will support the implementation of the project Strengthening Environmental Enforcement for the Control of Illegal Deforestation in the Amazon (FortFisc). The initiative aims to modernize and expand environmental enforcement efforts in the region.

The investment will be rolled out over a 60-month period and encompasses several initiatives:

• Acquisition of large aircraft with ballistic protection and high-tech drones to enhance command and control operations against deforestation, illegal mining, and forest fires.
• Construction of four air bases and eight strategic helipads in the forest to increase state presence in hard-to-reach areas.
• Installation of a national operational training center, mobile inspection bases, and storage facilities for seized assets in the states of Pará, Rondônia, and Mato Grosso.
• Development of digital systems for managing infraction notices and implementation of the Zero Deforestation system, which will use artificial intelligence for remote enforcement.
• Establishment of a Project Management Unit (UGP) composed of Ibama staff and specialized consultants to oversee the technical and financial execution of FortFisc.

During a ceremony at the Planalto Palace marking government actions for World Environment Day (June 5), Environment and Climate Change Minister Marina Silva emphasized the importance of the funding:

“The Amazon Fund is the result of the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon. It stems from donations linked to the reductions in deforestation we’ve achieved in the biome. Under this administration, we have already prevented 450 million tons of CO₂ from being released into the atmosphere. This has doubled the resources of the Amazon Fund. That money now returns to Ibama for the purchase of more helicopters, technological tools, and public services aimed at preventing and fighting fires and deforestation.”

Ibama President Rodrigo Agostinho highlighted that the investment significantly boosts the agency’s operational capacity in tackling environmental crimes:

“The signing of the FortFisc project, totaling R$825.7 million, marks the largest individual investment ever made by the Amazon Fund. This investment significantly strengthens Ibama’s operational capacity to combat environmental violations, consolidating the progress made in recent years and pushing us closer to the goal of zero deforestation by 2030.”

In addition to enhancing environmental enforcement, President Lula also signed decrees establishing three new federal conservation units: two in Paraná — the Faxinal São Roquinho and Faxinal Bom Retiro Sustainable Development Reserves — and one in Espírito Santo, the Foz do Rio Doce Environmental Protection Area (APA). The latter aims to protect the coastal and marine ecosystem affected by the collapse of the Fundão dam in Mariana (MG) in 2015.

These initiatives are part of the government’s strategy to strengthen environmental protection and promote sustainable development in the Amazon and other regions of the country.