Brazil to hire short-term environmental enforcers following Amazon fires

Budget restrictions mean Brazil cannot hire more permanent environmental enforcement agents in the wake of surging Amazon fires but will contract local environmental police on a short-term basis, Environment Minister Ricardo Salles told Reuters on Friday.

The environment ministry is negotiating within the government to maintain its 2020 budget at the same level as 2019, Salles said in an interview. Funding to contract the agents will need to come from spending the ministry's resources more efficiently in other areas, he said.