Provisional Measure 870 threatens indigenous rights

The first provisional measure (MP 870/19) edited by Bolsonaro’s government introduced a ministerial reform and marked a clear move to drain out the Ministry of the Environment’s political role, institutional capacity and funding. It also set the tone for the government’s narrative on the issue in the months to come.

Among the consequences of the MP are: the attempt to transfer the responsibility to identify, define limits and demarcate indigenous and quilombola lands from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Agriculture; the National Foundation for Indigenous People (FUNAI) would also be transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights; the Brazilian Forestry Service (in charge of registering and monitoring rural properties) would be transferred from the Ministry of the Environment to the Ministry of Agriculture; the closure of specific secretaries and expert areas at Ministry of the Environment to deal with climate change and deforestation.