BIOLOGICAL RESERVE IN BRAZIL: NO PRIORITY, NO RESOURCES. JUST TRAGEDIES!!!

[Reproduced from www.oeco.com.br]

"Poço das Antas":  the head of this Biological Reserve says he is tired!

Poço das Antas is the first  biological reserve of Brazil. It is the habitat of the Golden Lion Tamarin, the sloth, and other important species of the fauna and flora of the Atlantic forest. It has a historical and symbolic value in conservation struggle and home to one of the most important works integrated to save a species from extinction, the Golden Lion Tamarin, the Olympic Mascot candidate.

Brazil is a world power in biodiversity. The country currently has outstanding visibility, either by major sporting events, either by the vitality of its economy and its social contradictions. Rio de Janeiro is a great showcase of Brazil. A fire at its most symbolic reserve cannot be justified by the bureaucrats only as one more fatality caused by the heat or by an unsuspecting farmer.

Saturday, February 08. In the second and decisive day of the fire, Gustavo Luna Pandey, the Chief of the reserve, mobilized competently to combat the fire with a group of volunteers. About 25 men, some employees of partner institutions, friends, ex-components of staff ... The Poço das Antas biological reserve has no fire brigade at this time of year due to lack of resources. It is  normally expected more rain in summer. But it's not the first summer that the reserve has this same problem.

The Chico Mendes Institute, ICMBio, which administers the federal budget is in trouble. In the Reserve  there was no fire brigade nor any special scheme. REBIO ["Reserva Biológica] phone was cut two months ago and it was used the one of the AMLD (Golden Lion Tamarin Association). The State Agency claimed difficulties as well, in other parks. The head of the Reserve did a lot more than he could, in the face of so much uncertainty. The firemen came 48 hours later. There was no material conditions or training for those men.

It is possible that the images of bodies of capybaras, sloths, coatis and many burned trees are quickly forgotten by all of us, on the speed of the internet. It is not possible to see so many authorities circulating in official vehicles, parading by helicopter, our technical colleagues performing many important meetings around the world, but we won't be able to extinguish a fire with minimal professionalism!

[Unfortunately, the Poço das Antas reserve will probably no more count on the care of such competent and dedicated professional]