Have you heard about an environmental crime? Relatively, people are more likely to familiar with social crime. My one of the most impressive film was "Les Miserables". Even though I felt deep sadness toward main character, Jean Valjean due to his absurd sentence for stealing bread, I insist that the penalty for environmental damage should be heavy and strict. Today I would like to introduce the environment police in Brazil and a relevant crime.

IBAMA is Brazil s environmental protection agency, which supervises the regulation of the world s largest rainforest. The IBAMA took an action against the largest environmental offenders in the state of Para during the week of the World Environment Day (WED).

The main goal of this action is that to recover the environmental harms in Amazon rain forest so that they will find offenders and plan to punish them. The values claimed for indemnity will be over R$ 212 million and more than 38thousand hectares of Amazon are supposed to be replanted. IBAMA expects that their efforts of the supervision have an effect on decrease of environmental crime.

The current defendants are Antonio Jose Junqueira Vilela Filho, Decius Barroso Nunes, Celestino Alecio Fuchina Facco Gondim Timber Ltda. and Acosta & Figueiredo Ltda.

The municipalities of Altamira, Rondon Para Ulianópolis, Santa Barbara Para and Anapu were prohibited for any economic exploitation due to ongoing deforestation. Therefore, anybody who disrespects this matter is supposed to get penalty. The IBAMA will suspend of offender?s financial lines and make them lose the credit until the effective recovery of degraded environment. Furthermore, the offenders should prepare for the loss of any tax benefits or incentives.

Recently, Amazon areas have depended on the IBAMA for environmental protection. That is because state or local governments have an ill-equipped system to handle illegal logging or reluctant to implement it. I hope that entrepreneurs have a proper attitude to lead environment protection through well organized system and agencies.