BVRio coordinates media workshop to mark the Brazilian Forest Code 10th Anniversary

Between 23 May and 2 June, the Forest Code Observatory (OCF), of which BVRio is a member, is promoting ‘Forest Code +10’, a week of debates to mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of the law that protects native vegetation in Brazil, the ‘New Forest Code’.

The event opens on 23 May with a workshop aimed at journalists, ‘(Un)covering the Forest Code’, organised by BVRio and Imaflora. Beto Mesquita, Director of Forests and Public Policies, will be the guest speaker with journalist Amélia Gonzalez, who worked for almost 30 years at ‘O Globo’, one of Brazil’s mainstream newspapers.

After Brazil reached record numbers relating to deforestation in 2021, the need and urgency to involve various segments of society in this task force are evident to build a positive agenda for effective compliance with the legislation. The debates will cover themes such as the Forest Code as a solution to the biodiversity and climate crisis, besides the legal obstacles that have delayed its implementation.

“We are organising workshops and roundtables to mark the tenth anniversary of one of the most strategic codes for the development and future of the country. Our goal is to draw attention to the urgent need to implement it, and the occasion is ideal,” explains Roberta del Giudice, the Forest Code Observatory executive secretary.

Since the publication of the Forest Code in 2012, BVRio has been dedicated to promoting its full implementation, including helping regulate the law, creating a Legal Reserves Credits market platform, engaging landowners, and now creating lines of financing to meet the law’s objectives.

“A decade after its enactment, compliance with the Forest Code remains a challenge. It is necessary to have a broad national agreement around a strategy of economic recovery that puts the forests and other Brazilian ecosystems as part of the solutions, not the problem. The mechanisms established in this law are good steps in this direction, but they need to be effectively implemented”, highlights Beto Mesquita.

BVRio’s Directors are guest speakers in another two sessions:

May 25th, 4-5:30pm (BRT): Panel ‘How the Forest Code is working’ with BVRio’s CEO, Maurício Moura Costa, Roberta Del Giudice (OCF), Raoni Rajão (Lagesa/UFMG) and Gabriela Savian (IPAM), moderated by Marta Salomon (UnB).

May 30th, 2:00-3:30 pm (BRT): Panel ‘Forests: Climate, Water, Biodiversity and Business Opportunities’ with BVRio’s Chairman Pedro Moura Costa, Bernardo Strassburg (re.green), Beatriz Stuart Secaf (Rabobank) and Luiza Bruscato (GTPS), moderated by Paula Bernascone (iCS).

 

Check out the complete programme for the event ‘Forest Code + 10’, and register for free (in Portuguese)