THE EMERALD COAST THREATENED
The Decree of Governor Sergio Cabral permits greater occupancy of areas and construction for enterprises on the islands in the Bay of Ilha Grande. The Decree represents a threat to the Бrea de Proteзгo Ambiental de Tamoios (the Tamoios Environmental Protection Area), known as the Tamoios APA, which was created in 1986 and regulated in 1994 in order to ensure the protection of the natural environment and its ecosystems, caiзara communities integrated into such ecosystems and rare species threatened with extinction. The Tamoios APA covers an area comprising 93 islands of the Bay of Ilha Grande, as well as an 81-kilometre stretch of coastline on the mainland.
State Decree No 41.921, published by Governor Sйrgio Cabral in June 2009, relaxed the regulations governing occupancy of the area. By the decree, permission for construction, which was hitherto restricted to owners of land with existing buildings, has been granted to all who possess land, including those occupying land with no buildings whatsoever, thus provoking a veritable real property gold rush in the Bay of Ilha Grande. The Advisory Board of the APA, created in 1986, a legal expedient of participative administration, composed of innumerable entities of civil representation that operate in the area, was not even consulted. Drawn up surreptitiously, the said decree is a grave affront to civil society. The decision of the state government contravenes the rule of the Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservaзгo (Snuc) [the National System of Conservation Units] and rides roughshod over all the principles of the Democratic System of Law. Administrative Councils are legal expedients that legitimately express the position of organized civil society. Governor Sйrgio Cabral disrespects civil society, demonstrates contempt for the environment and has thus lost credibility. At one fell swoop, without prior warning, he has stimulated real property speculation that will destroy the few well-preserved areas that make up the Bay of Ilha Grande, a region that is the heritage of all Brazilians. We deeply deplore this dangerous retrograde step and express our firm resolve to use all democratic means to maintain the environmental conservation of the Bay of Ilha Grande.
WE DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE REVOCATION OF DECREE No 41.921.
Please sign this Petition and help to keep our Emerald Coast green.