Germany committed 200 million euros ($217 million) on Monday to support Brazil’s defence of the Amazon rainforest, a global ecosystem that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration decimated.
The amount was revealed in the nation’s capital, Brasilia, where German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made his first foreign visit since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office on January 1.
According to Scholz, the visit was a sign of German support for Brazilian democracy in the wake of riots by Bolsonaro supporters, Lula’s far-right predecessor.
Svenja Schulze, Germany’s minister for development, told reporters that her country recognised the new leftist government in Brazil was working hard to reduce deforestation during its first 100 days in office.
The amount includes a $35 million (US$38 million) gift to the Amazon Fund to support a $1 billion project backed by Norway and Germany to preserve the South American rain forest and stop deforestation.
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