VZCZCXRO9291
OO RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHGR RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG
RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHBR #0822 1281914
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 081914Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8869
INFO RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 4326
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 9808
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 6611
RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000822 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G FOR PBATES 
STATE FOR OES/ENV DBROWN; OES/PCI LSPERLING 
STATE FOR OES/ETC SCASWELL AND DGRIER 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC WPOPP 
STATE PLS PASS TO EPA HILL-MACON 
STATE PLS PASS TO USGS JWEAVER 
STATE PLS PASS TO PARK SERVICE FOR SMORRIS 
STATE PLS PASS TO US FOREST SERVICE FOR EMAYHEW 
STATE PLS PASS TO DOI FOR KWASHBURN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV TNGD TRGY KSCA EAGR BR
SUBJECT: FURTHER INFORMATION ON STRUCTURAL CHANGES AT BRAZIL'S 
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT 
 
REFTEL: 07 BRASILIA 771 
 
¶1.  This week new details are emerging about the massive 
reorganization at Brazil's Ministry of the Environment first 
announced April 25, 2007 (Ref). The four new secretariats created 
were Climate Change and Environmental Quality Secretariat (SEMUC), 
Water Resources and Urban Environments (SRU), Extractive Activities 
and Sustainable Rural Development (SDR) and the Institutional 
Articulation and Environmental Citizenship (SAIC). The new 
secretariats will replace, respectively, the following ones: 
 
SIPDIS 
Environmental Quality Secretariat (SQA), Water Resources Secretariat 
(SRH), Policies for Sustainable Development (SDS) and the 
Coordination of the Amazon Secretariat (SCA). 
¶2.  All secretariats are part of the Ministry of Environment and 
shall report to Minister Marina Silva on their duties. The detailed 
responsibilities and duties are as follow: 
¶3.  The Climate Change and Environmental Quality Secretariat will 
deal with all matters related to climate change, as well as policies 
and instruments to regulate the carbon market with special attention 
to Clean Development Mechanism projects.  The Secretariat will also 
be responsible for other subjects such as strategic environmental 
evaluation, different kinds of pollution, environmental degradation 
and the development of a new environmentally sustainable energy 
matrix. 
¶4.  The Secretariat responsible for matters related to water and 
environmental aspects of urban environments, such as the control of 
pollution in urban areas and the management of solid waste is the 
Water Resources and Urban Environments (SRU).  SRU was also 
delegated the responsibility for the formulation and monitoring of 
the implementation of the National Water Resources Policy. 
¶5.  The Extractive Activities and Sustainable Rural Development 
Secretariat (SDR) will deal with all land management issues as well 
 
SIPDIS 
as agricultural activities, forest recovery policies, the 
sustainability of environmental activities linked to tourism, the 
development of ecotourism and the environmental aspects of biofuel 
production.  Another major responsibility will be the activities 
related to genetic material of the country's biodiversity. 
¶6.  The Institutional Articulation and Environmental Citizenship 
Secretariat(SAIC) will work on the integration of the Ministry's 
 
SIPDIS 
internal and external actions in order to facilitate implementation 
of new environmental public policies, bilateral and multilateral 
agendas, as well as coordinate actions of all of the Ministry's 
units. 
¶7.  At the Brazilian Environmental Agency (IBAMA), a new institute 
called Instituto Chico Mendes, the Brazilian Institute for 
Biodiversity Conservation, was created.  The Institute will be 
responsible for IBAMA's conservation duties and for managing 
Brazil's two hundred and eighty eight units of protected areas.  All 
the activities concerning the sustainable use of protected areas and 
units of conservation will the dealt by Instituto Chico Mendes, 
together with the execution of research programs and the protection, 
preservation and conservation of biodiversity. 
¶8.  IBAMA will now be responsible exclusively for authorizing, 
licensing and supervising issues related to the environment.  The 
agency will concentrate its action in the execution and enforcement 
of environmental policies concerning environmental licensing, the 
control of environmental quality, the authorization for the use of 
natural resources, monitoring and environmental control. 
¶9.  The Ministry's Executive Secretary, Joco Paulo Capobianco is the 
interim President of Instituto Chico Mendes and Bazileu Alves 
Margarido Neto is the interim President for IBAMA. 
¶10.  The changes have at IBAMA have not been well received by its 
employees.  Presently, the employees of five states are on strike 
and a National protest is set for Wednesday May 9, 2007, in 
Brasilia. 
SOBEL