PERU'S 'ANTI-FOREST LAW' REWARDS CRIME AND SCREWS THE PLANET

People protest against modifications to the forestry law that were rushed through Congress in 15 minutes, at the dead of night, at end of last year. Photo: Fotoholica Press Agency

19 April 2024

The law boosts deforestation and endangers land defenders, but resistance is growing writes Vanessa Baird.


While Brazil and Colombia are winning plaudits for reducing their rates of deforestation, Peru seems to be setting itself in the opposite direction.

The country has the second largest portion of the Amazon, after Brazil, but has lost more than 2.7 million hectares of forest (about the size of Haiti) over the past two decades, according to official figures.

New government data published this month shows that in 2022 Peru’s annual rate of deforestation rose by six per cent, with 146,575 hectares lost. And that situation is about to get worse, thanks to changes to its Forest and Wildlife law, rushed through Congress in 15 minutes, at the dead of night, at end of last year.

The modifications included in the new Law 31973 pardon all historical illegal deforestation on areas cleared for agriculture prior to January 2024, dismantle future legal constraints and effectively open up the Peruvian Amazon to more deforestation for agriculture.

More:
https://newint.org/forests/2024/perus-anti-forest-law-rewards-crime-and-screws-planet