The document “Political Strategies for the Cerrado,” the result of a process collectively built by various civil society organizations, was launched on Tuesday afternoon (04), during the political event “Development Forever – environmental commitment of candidates for the 2018 elections,” held in the Green Room of the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasília. The event was organized by the Environmental Parliamentary Front and included the participation of the Cerrado Network, the Society, Population and Nature Institute (ISPN), the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation, the Amazon Socio-environmental Institute (IPAM), the Socio-environmental Institute (ISA), SOS Pantanal and WWF-Brazil.
“In this important political scenario for the country, in which we are in the midst of one of the most emblematic electoral processes in recent years, civil society organizations concerned with the conservation of the Cerrado and with guaranteeing the rights of traditional peoples and communities are uniting in the construction of a strategic document with effective proposals for the presidential candidates,” highlighted Kátia Favilla, executive secretary of the Cerrado Network, who symbolically delivered the document to the presidential candidates and parliamentarians.
According to ISPN's legal advisor, Guilherme Eidt, the document was a collective effort by civil society to influence the executive and legislative branches. “The 27 recommendations presented today by a group of civil society organizations guide political strategies that address the economic importance of the Cerrado and aim to influence priority government actions for its conservation. Beyond engaging with the government programs of the 2018 presidential candidates, the strength of this document lies in having managed to bring together organizations working in different social fields around a unified political agenda for the Cerrado,” he pointed out.
Among the proposals presented, Favilla highlighted the need to establish and guarantee the operating conditions of the National Council of Traditional Peoples and Communities (CNPCT), as well as to reformulate the National Council of the Sustainable Cerrado Program (Conacer). “Linking agricultural productivity and responsible socioeconomic development of the sector, addressing conflicts with indigenous peoples and traditional peoples and communities, encouraging conservation and supporting the restoration of native vegetation, is fundamental for the health and maintenance of the Biome's ecosystem services in the long term,” he pointed out.
