With Amazon deforestation accelerating, Brazilian politicians are portraying foreign environmental groups working in the rain forest as a threat to national security and say they need to be reined in.
Invading armies, the theft of medicinal plants, spying and land grabs are among the dangers officials have raised to justify tougher measures such as limits on land ownership and the activities of conservationists.
Nationalists, especially in Brazil's military and intelligence circles, have long harbored conspiracy theories that foreigners are scheming to take Amazon resources.
But in recent months, a period coinciding with a spike in the destruction of the world's largest rain forest, those allegations have become louder and more public.
Some legislators and military officers say they are concerned about foreign businesses buying up forest land.
"The growing acquisition of land by foreigners in the Amazon is a threat to our national security. We need to impose restrictions now," Sen. Joao Pedro said.
Retired Col. Manoel Soriano Neto, a former army intelligence officer, told the government news agency that some groups are fronts serving other country's interests. "They are predators and spies, seeking the biodiversity of our Amazon."
Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said foreign complaints about Amazon destruction from beef, soybean and ethanol production are part of efforts to undermine Brazilian exports.
His government accuses some foreign groups of biopiracy, claiming they are stealing medicinal plants for pharmaceutical purposes. It has provided little evidence, but said it could shut down foreign groups that fail to provide full accounts of their operations.
They must register with half a dozen authorities, including the federal police, and detail the qualifications and residence of their directors.
"We want to separate the wheat from the chaff," said Secretary of Justice Romeu Tuma Junior. "The state has the right to demand that those wanting to operate in an area of national interest open their books publicly."
Xenophobia
Environmentalists say the increased scrutiny appears to be a direct response to foreign criticism of deforestation.
"There are cycles of xenophobia in Brazil; this one follows a new international spotlight on the Amazon," said Adrian Garda, the Amazon program director with Conservation International. He said his group will not meet the government's registration request because it considers itself Brazilian.
About 13,000 square km of the Amazon will have been cut down in the 12 months through the end of July, Environment Minister Carlos Minc said. That would be the first rise in three years and is up from 11,220 square km during the previous 12 months.
Loggers seeking commercial timber and cattle ranchers looking for cheap land spearhead deforestation. Soybean and other farmers driven by high grain prices follow them.
Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said in April that Brazil considers a large-scale foreign invasion of the Amazon as a possible, albeit remote, security threat.
The army chief for the Amazon has also warned that Brazil's borders are vulnerable to foreign incursions through tribal Indian territories, where foreign aid workers are active.
Critics say the growing nationalist rhetoric is aimed at intimidating foreigners but can be good for politicians' poll numbers too.
"They're being populists, that wins votes," said Raul Telles do Valle of ISA, a think tank on social and environmental issues.
