Governmental vacuum in the Amazon region

The magnificence of the Amazon region, not only in terms of territory, but mainly due to its biological, cultural and social diversity, besides being its main richness is also Brazil’s biggest challenge in the search for a sustainable development model for the region. According to the participants of the Ethos Institute 2008 International Conference panel “Sustainable Development of the Amazon”, the main tool to tackle this challenge is the actors’ ability to humbly discuss with the local communities, who know how to preserve such a vital ecosystem for the planet’s environmental balance.

The debate, chaired by Adriana Ramos, Coordinator of the Amazon Initiative of the Socioenvironmental Institute (ISA), also included Adalberto Veríssimo, senior researcher at the Amazon Institute of People and the Environment (Imazon), Júlio Barbosa de Aquino, vice-president of the National Council of Rubber Tappers, Edson Ricardo Cunha, of Petrobras in the Amazon region, Orlando Lima, director of Vale’s Sustainable Development Department, and the biologist and businessman Roberto Waack, president of the Amazon Certified Forest Producers Association (PFCA).

The brief account of the economic activity in the Amazon region, made by Adalberto Veríssimo, shows that, so far, the natural resources exploration models used in the region have been responsible, from the rubber cycle to the latest expansion of the agricultural frontier, for a loss of over 700 thousand square kilometers of forest. Except for some isolated pockets of development, such models have given rise to social conflicts and break down in local communities. In addition, deforestation in the Legal Amazon accounts for 60% of the Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions, a situation likely to worsen with the increase in biofuel production.

According to Veríssimo, among the challenges for the Amazon sustainable development of the Amazon, are the development of infrastructure, land reform, and mainly investment prioritization. In his opinion, the measures announced by the government in the Sustainable Amazon Plan (PAS) are too modest for the challenges facing the issue. “It is not a matter of hundreds of millions, but of billions of dollars to solve the Amazon region problems”, points out Veríssimo.

The good news, according to the researcher, are the green market growth, cross-sector dialogue currently taking place, increase in protected areas, and the credit control for production activities. He believes one of the main efforts of the Brazilian government right now should be the effective implementation of the Government presence in the Amazon region, as a means to meet the infrastructure needs of local communities – opinion shared by all members of the debate.

Júlio Barbosa Aquino, rubber tapper and founder of the National Council of Rubber Tappers, believes that the organized land occupation is a critical issue, although he agrees there is no ideal model for exploring the Amazon’s biodiversity. The ecological and economic zoning, according to him, has already been implemented in the State of Acre and must be extended to all States of the Amazon region.

Another essential issue is the dialogue with social organizations. “Without the engagement of existing social movements, the sustainable development of the Amazon will not be possible”, believes Aquino. Mentioning as an example the rubber tappers history, Júlio Aquino explains that, before the debacle of the rubber cycle export model, the surrounding communities did not manage to develop. “Only after we had to work by ourselves following a cooperative model did we advance”, says he.

The biologist and businessman Roberto Waack stressed the difficulties posed by the governmental vacuum in the Amazon region. The consequences include the chaotic situation of land property, corruption of oligarchies, lack of legislation to rule forest concession, lack of contextualized education to meet the specific needs of the local economy, and deficient monitoring of economic activities.

The director of Vale’s Sustainable Development Department, Orlando de Lima, told about the company’s experience with projects in the Amazon region. Vale’s objective, according to him, is to implement mechanisms of action to go beyond the economic exploration. “We intend to stay in the Amazon region for over a hundred years and, when we leave, we want the communities to be able to continue developing. Therefore, we want to contribute to a frontier of legality and preservation”, explains Lima.

Edson Cunha presented the Petrobras’ Center for Environmental Excellence in the Amazon (Ceap), which monitors the activities concerning production and transportation of oil and natural gas from Urucu, in the State of Amazonas. According to him, “Ceap is a company’s tool for strategic partnerships in the region, including universities, research institutions and governmental and non-governmental organizations”. One of the most important projects is the Piatam (Potential Impacts and Environmental Risks of the Oil and Gas Industry in Amazonas), supported by Finep (Research and Projects Financing) and technically coordinated by the Federal University of Amazonas.

Another consensus reached by the participants concerned the role of the market in the region’s sustainable development. According to Adalberto Veríssimo, although hard to achieve, conscious consumption is critical to stop devastation. “Through green seals, it’s possible to have a more efficient control over transactions carried out in specific market links, thus leading to significant risk reduction”, concludes Veríssimo.

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