Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Tuesday, September 22 in his speech to the UN General Assembly that his country was "the
victim of one of the most brutal disinformation campaigns on the Amazon and the Pantanal
", where fires are currently raging.
“
Everyone knows that the Brazilian Amazon is very rich.
This explains the support of international institutions for this campaign with dubious interests, with the help of profitable Brazilian associations, unpatriotic, with the objective of doing harm to Brazil
”, he added in this speech recorded from Brazil. .
To read also: Amazonia: Bolsonaro denounces the criticisms coming from abroad
The far-right leader made particular reference to the campaign called “
Defundbolsonaro.org
”, launched earlier this month by several NGOs, calling for any investment in Brazil to depend on firm commitments for the preservation of the Amazon.
This campaign, to which celebrities such as American actor Leonardo DiCaprio have joined, has the slogan: “
Bolsonaro sets the Amazon on fire.
Again.
Which side are you on?
".
For Jair Bolsonaro, each year "
the fires take place in the same places, where the natives burn for their survival, in areas already deforested
".
Since the start of the year, 71,673 fires have been identified in the Amazon, 12% more than in the same period last year.
Further south, in the Pantanal, the planet's largest wetland and sanctuary, they have more than tripled.
According to the latest official figures, 1,358 km2 were deforested in the Amazon last month, 21% less than in August 2019. But if we take into account the data collected since January, the decrease is only 5% compared to to 2019, year of all records.
President Bolsonaro also said that Brazil provides "
food security for one sixth of the world's population, while preserving 66% of native vegetation and using only 27% of the land for agriculture
."