The huge mudslides and flooding in Brazil that killed more than 890 people in Rio de Janeiro state have been blamed on heavy rains and soil features. We believe that the main culprits are the country's increasingly chaotic land-use policies.

The 1965 Brazilian Forest Act governs rural land use and guides it in urban areas so that all steep hills, hilltops and forests near water are permanently protected. These areas provide crucial ecosystem services, such as terrain stabilization, flood regulation and water supply.

But after decades of unplanned urban and agricultural expansion in contravention of the Act, natural calamities in Brazil are on the rise. In addition to the recent disaster, landslides and floods in other Brazilian states have killed hundreds of people during the past three years.

The Brazilian congress is now considering a draft bill that excludes hilltops from legal protection, reduces the width of protected areas adjoining small streams, and allows state governments to reduce such areas by up to 50% more than is permitted under federal rules. The draft bill also gives the municipalities more freedom to slacken land-use standards in urban areas.

Supporters of the new bill have failed to note the link between disregard of protected areas and the rise in natural catastrophes. Instead of enforcing the existing law, they propose to legitimize violations that are likely to contribute to more tragedies. Now, influential agribusiness lobbyists are trying to force a quick vote on this matter to reduce costly compliance pressures on recalcitrant landowners.

As so often happens with environmental issues, the welfare of many is threatened by the interests of a few.