For Caetano Scannavino, the coordinator of a nonprofit organization in the heart of the rainforest, being falsely accused of setting fire to the Amazon with money from an Oscar-winning actor turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
In November 2019, then Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said: False claims that actor Leonardo DiCaprio was funding a nonprofit organization He blamed the fire in part. Although the accusations were false, they jeopardized Scannavino and his work promoting sustainable development and civil rights in the area on the banks of the Tapajós River, popular with tourists for its combination of rainforest and beaches.
Four of Scannavino’s friends, who volunteered as forest firefighters, were jailed for two days and later charged with starting the fires in the area, but were later acquitted.
Police spent several weeks examining documents from Saude e Alegría, a nonprofit organization founded by Scannavino.
Scannavino received anonymous threats and his car was set on fire.
But Bolsonaro’s comments made DiCaprio take note of Scannavino’s work and decided to sponsor it through Re:wild, a conservation nonprofit the actor helped found. According to Brazilian activists, their cooperation has already been going on for five years.
“When the accusation happened, DiCaprio came forward and said he didn’t fund us. But Scannavino added in a phone interview that “it is natural to receive support after seeing our work. I have not been with him nor have I spoken to him. But he is supporting us and using his social networks to show us the results of this collaboration.”
Scannavino, 59 years old; Appointed coordinator of Saude e Alegría In order to promote inclusive and sustainable regional development in the state of Pará, the “Health and Well-being” law was enacted in 1988. Its capital Belem will host the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP30) this week.
Scannavino arrived in Belém from the city of Santarem, where the initiative is based, on Tuesday after a two-day voyage that included interviews with journalists, activists and climate experts.
This project began as a health care initiative; But since then, we have started working with rural communities to improve their quality of life and exercise their civil rights.
One of the projects sponsored by DiCaprio’s institute is the Forest Economy Ecocenter in Santarem, which serves as a processing, storage and marketing center for products made by local residents. The organizer said that the installation wasImproving the economic viability of sustainable practices in the region.
The center, founded a year ago, also has support from the governments of Brazil, Germany and Norway, all of which are contributors to the Amazon Fund. The Amazon Fund is a Brazilian initiative that funds efforts to combat deforestation and promote sustainable development.
Scannavino said the effort cost about 5 million Brazilian reals ($938,000). Most were paid for by Amazon funds.
“The first few days after Bolsonaro’s accusations were terrible. People insulted us and our families in the streets, firefighters had to retreat. But then something amazing happened,” Scannavino said.
“Normally when you’re an easy target people leave, but in our case it was the opposite. In the end, the charges were dismissed.the firefighters were released and people, including DiCaprio, were interested in us,” he added.
DiCaprio said in an Instagram post this week that world leaders meeting in Brazil must ensure that those who protect nature have the resources they need. He added that Re:wild is committed to allocating more funds to forest protection.
“I urge our leaders to come together and confront this situation.” Said. “Our future depends on it.”
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