Brazilian rancher ordered to pay $50m for damage to Amazon

Source: The Guardian

Brazilian rancher ordered to pay $50m for damage to Amazon

Brazil court freezes assets of Dirceu Kruger to pay climate compensation for illegal deforestation

Isabella Kaminski
Thu 25 Jul 2024 10.48 BST
Last modified on Thu 25 Jul 2024 19.51 BST

A Brazilian cattle rancher has been ordered to pay more than $50m (£39m) for destroying part of the Amazon rainforest and ordered to restore the precious carbon sink.

Last week, a federal court in Brazil froze the assets of Dirceu Kruger to pay compensation for the damage he had caused to the climate through illegal deforestation. The case was brought by Brazil’s attorney general’s office, representing the Brazilian institute of environment and renewable natural resources (Ibama). It is the largest civil case brought for climate crimes in Brazil to date and the start of a legal push to repair and deter damage to the rainforest.

Kruger had previously been forced to pay damages by Ibama for destroying 5,600 hectares (13,838 acres) in the Amazonian municipalities of Boca do Acre and Lábrea. This was on public land belonging to the federal government and the state of Amazonas.

The rancher used chainsaws to clear vegetation, then set fires to clear the land and finally planted grass to establish pasture for raising cattle. Satellite images showed the scale of the damage and Kruger admitted having caused it on film.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/25/brazilian-rancher-ordered-pay-50m-damage-amazon