IBAMA expands air fleet to combat mining and forest fires

On Thursday, January 16, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis / IBAMA) received seven new AW119 helicopters ―an aircraft known as Koala— to ensure greater efficiency and agility in operations to combat illegal mining and forest fires.

The new fleet was made possible through a lease agreement, with an annual investment of BRL 130 million, ensuring approximately five thousand flight hours per year: a 40% increase compared to the previous fleet. Each helicopter can carry six passengers and features constant tracking, rappelling equipment, direct communication with the base, and a bambi bucket system (equipment used to drop water on forest fires).

The new aircraft will also be essential for responding to environmental and climate emergencies, coastal monitoring, inspections of projects under environmental licensing, and various other essential activities to safeguard the population and the country's natural resources.

According to Minister Marina Silva (Environment and Climate Change), the effort to hire aircraft that double flight capacity, personnel transport, water deployment, and the inspection process is not a government policy: it is a state policy.

"This is what makes the difference. IBAMA has achieved fundamental results alongside the ICMBio (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade), in partnership with the Federal Police and 19 other ministries within the scope of plans to combat deforestation in Brazil's biomes. We have achieved a significant reduction in the Amazon, Pantanal, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest," she argued.

According to Marina Silva, the new fleet will aid in the fight against crime, and with the new equipment, greater efficiency in operations is expected. "What makes crime retreat is the lack of certainty or expectation of impunity. When there is nearly certainty of impunity, crime advances. When public servants are threatened and persecuted instead of being recognized and respected, it allows crime to progress," the minister emphasized.

The hiring of the aircraft doubles the flight and inspection capacity - Image: Vitor Vasconcelos / Secom PR

STRENGTHENING OPERATIONS — To further strengthen operations during the critical period of forest fires, another five helicopters will be hired for seasonal use, as well as one aircraft for transporting personnel and equipment to hard-to-reach areas. Additionally, a project submitted to the Amazon Fund foresees the acquisition of another two large helicopters, expanding the fleet to a total of fifteen aircraft.

IBAMA President Rodrigo Agostinho pointed out the need for a larger structure to face the climate crisis and environmental crimes. "The aircraft are now equipped with a water-dropping bucket, and we have increased our capacity from 2,700 liters to 6,300, a 133% increase. Likewise, we can now transport 35 firefighters at the same time. This gives us more time and allows us to go farther into areas we could not reach before, but criminals could," he stated.

According to IBAMA Director of Environmental Protection Jair Schmitt, the use of these aircraft is decisive, especially in more isolated environments, where other operational means would hardly be able to operate. “A more capable, more autonomous and more modern aircraft will certainly enable IBAMA to carry out these missions more efficiently and assertively. As well as increasing the number of more modern, standardized aircraft, we are also increasing the number of flight hours employed annually. Our model here provides for 5,040 flight hours per year,” he emphasized.

REMOTE MONITORING — IBAMA has also invested in remote monitoring technology, with a fleet of 163 drones (remotely piloted aircraft) equipped with high-precision sensors and operated by a specialized team of 192 professionals, ensuring greater efficiency in environmental monitoring and protection actions throughout the national territory.

The fleet management is under the responsibility of the Air Operations Coordination (Coordenação de Operações Aéreas / COAER), a specialized unit linked to the Environmental Protection Directorate (Diretoria de Proteção Ambiental / DIPRO), consolidating IBAMA's role as an air operator accredited by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil / ANAC).