But the ranchers keep on burning, and the laws are not enforced. Brazil's environmental protection agency has only about 80 enforcement officers in the whole of the Amazon. Worse, Brazil's courts have ruled that the agency does not have the authority to enforce the law, which means that it cannot even collect the fines it levies. A bill giving the agency authority to punish environmental criminals has passed the senate and is now before Brazil's lower house. It is a bill the Amazon obviously needs.
Tough enforcement is especially important now.
There could be a major drought this year or next, leading to widespread fires, if the climate-altering weather pattern known as El Nino strikes as expected. A graver danger may come from industrial interests. President Cardoso favors cutting roads and blasting waterways through large swaths of the forest. This could provide a new transportation network for big farmers who want to clear land to grow soybeans for export to Europe. New roads could also lead to increased logging.