Threats, weakening and dismantling indigenous, quilombola and environmental policies in Brazil

Abstract

Focusing on neo-extractivism, this article analyzes the institutional weakening and dismantling of indigenous, quilombola and environmental policies. The reduction of budgets, weakening of management and removal of responsibilities (or deviation from function) of Funai, Fundação Palmares, Incra and ICMBio in the recent period were subjected to analysis. Studies show that public agencies faced managerial instability, deepening institutional dismantling and loss of operational capacity, especially with the reduction of budgets and restrictions. The indigenous agency had to work with only a third of its normal workforce, due to a restriction of 90% of the budget, while the agency responsible for recognizing quilombola communities had its budget reduced by 58% in 2019 the lowest budget of the decade. The budget allocated to the demarcation and entitling of quilombola lands was reduced by 89% between 2014 and 2019. The ICMBio suffered less budget reduction, but experienced a process of militarization and the emptying of its powers. The study concludes that neo-extractive development, despite an initial period of social policies, income distribution and poverty reduction, is now, in the context of a 'return' of the ultra-neoliberal logic combined now with fundamentalist denial, threatening rights guaranteed in the Federal Constitution, such as the right to land and to an ecologically balanced environment.