Federal environmental agency allows construction of resort on endangered turtle’s conservation beach in the Northeast

The superintendent of the Brazilian Environmental Agency (Ibama) of Northeast state of Bahia, Rodrigo Santos Alves, authorized, against a previous technical decision by Ibama itself, the resumption of the construction works of a luxury beach resort in Praia do Forte; the enterprise poses risks to the procreation of endangered turtles species, according to conservation experts.

Nominated by Ricardo Salles in June 2019, Rodrigo Santos Alves gave his approval for the installation of a wall directly on the sand, in front of the hotel, in the sand, compromising the reproduction of the turtles, which advance to the shore to spawn. A fine of R$ 7.5 million that had been applied against the enterprise was also withdrawn. According to an article by O Estado de São Paulo, Alves, who is a partner of real estate broker Remax Jazz, which operates with luxury properties on the coast of Bahia, did not visit the site of the works, and justified his decision by claiming that “the licensor must balance the complex and often conflicting values between the environmental impact and the importance of the activity or venture, always seeking to promote ‘productive and pleasant harmony between the human being and his environment.

Also about Salles political and ideological usage of Ibama, newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo published last week a report of an audit carried out in October by the Federal Audit Court (TCU) that points to the irregular appointment of military personnel to Ibama’s high ranking positions promoted by the Minister of the Environment. The practice even disrespects legal requirements of the government itself, such as meeting criteria related to professional experience and academic training. The report analyzed eight nominations made by Salles.

As the newspaper reported, “none of these nominations meets the basic requirements of Decree 9727 published by President Bolsonaro in March 2019, with the promise to honor the ‘meritocracy’ in hiring rather than political sponsorship in government.