Effects of Brazil's Political Crisis on the Science Needed for Biodiversity Conservation

The effects of Brazil´s political crisis on biodiversity conservation are likely to be global. Brazil is not only the World´s most biodiverse nation, it is responsible for the greater part of the Amazon forest, which regulates the climate and provides rain to much of southern South America. Brazil was a World leader in satellite monitoring of land-use change, in-situ biodiversity monitoring, reduction in tropical-forest deforestation, protection of indigenous lands, and a model for other developing nations. Coordinated public responses will be necessary to prevent special-interest groups from using the political crisis to weaken environmental legislation and law enforcement.