Brazil’s court threatens Amazon biodiversity | Science

Since 2011, a private company has sued to terminate protections for the Cristalino II State Park in Brazil’s state of Mato Grosso. The company is suspected of being a shell to enable private entities to gain rights to government land (1). On 23 April, after repeated appeals and counter-repeals, the Mato Grosso Court of Justice sided with the company and annulled the 2001 decree that created the park (2), despite evidence that the park’s creation was legal (3). The contested park area, spanning 118,000 ha, is a top conservation priority (4), especially for Amazonian tree species (5) and vulnerable faunal communities, such as the Endangered spider monkey Ateles marginatus (6). Moreover, the protected region plays a crucial role in inhibiting deforestation in the southern Amazon. Mato Grosso must appeal the decision.