rainforest agencies
The inequality of deforestation in the Amazon jungle and procedures for resolving
Amazon conservation becomes a more important issue every day in discussions on climate change and global warming, due to its importance as the winner of carbon and the repository of biodiversity and natural regulator of vapors in the atmosphere and climate. There is no doubt that we must preserve, is that the days of discrepancies between radical environmentalists and developers vision short are a thing of the past. Both have changed: environmentalists, most have begun to recognize and take into consideration the socio-economic imperative, governments and developers understand the need for cooperation on environmental issues with consequences that are both global and local. The strengthening of both points of view are damages economic, 2005, a year of dry rivers in the Amazon and simultaneous terrible hurricanes (including Katrina) in the Caribbean and the United States.
In This new understanding of the economic and environmental damage is striking how all are not (and I mean all the 25 million Brazilian Amazon) is committed to the preservation of the Amazon. However, most of these 25 million, even taking the equation further: down forests carry more the gross value. Livestock, timber harvesting and agricultural activities are more lucrative than the sustainable harvesting of Brazil nuts, oils and essences.
Traditionally, legal timber harvest is somewhat bureaucratic overkill for small holders and overly risky for large companies, land is cheap and abundant that promotes the continued use of new areas as well as monitoring and enforcement are too weak to maintain the formality of value. In recent years, the main change in this equation comes from Brazilian institutions have improved monitoring and enforcement, therefore it has increased cost of informality, without however interfering with the attraction of formality. This change in the equation has had the beneficial effect of reducing deforestation. However, as a side effect, the level of productivity has declined in many poor and traditionally more casual, where small entrepreneurs and independent workers are unwilling or unable to join the formal economy. Such is the case when we see the presence of Federal Police retaliated Arc of fire during the operation.
The federal government has addressed some of the problem through social programs such as Bolsa Familia, but more action important for the region economically viable, still trailing. The national vision that Amazon is just an environmental issue in the same way that Northeast is just a social issue contributes nothing. We are not just an environmental issue and therefore the discussion of our future can not be just a dispute the environment. It is also social, economic and political. The solution must be environmentally sound, socially just, economically viable and politically balanced which has already been said by Professor Samuel Benchimol.
Some state governments have developed other innovative solutions in the search for this viability. At Amazon state policies have sought to supply incentives to change the economic equation by:
- Minimum pricing sustainable forms products such as oils, essences and latex, so they can be placed at the forefront in the battle against deforestation;
- Establishment the Bolsa Floresta, an income transfer program for families living in the forest, which requires the commitment of non-deforestation, verified by satellite;
- Dramatic increase in investment in science and technology for development of sustainable technologies that over time can reveal the forest as more value economic in nature;
- Technical support for smallholders and courses on forestry, forestry and fishing, so we can make use of best practice strategies to increase productivity on a sustainable way;
- Scripture licenses Property land for people in possession may begin to own and can begin to receive the benefits of having a valuable asset in the financial market and recognize their obligations and duties;
- Licensing preferential financing through state promotion agency for small-scale sustainable sectors such as fishing, forest management, honey production, etc.
Monitoring and enforcement is also being improved, but to supplement the above initiatives.
All these efforts have a clear goal: to return to equal the value of standing forests for those who live there. From the economic point of view, Our goal is to include externalities in the equation.
It is important, however, noted that, although it provides local benefits, benefits most significant may be observed elsewhere, through the prevention of climate change around the world, changing regional rainfall averages, and loss of biodiversity in the world. For example, the energy supplied to the southeast of Brazil is largely generated by a hydroelectric plant that uses generated stormwater and recycled in the Amazon. Deforestation reduces recycling and rain can have a deleterious impact on the national power generation. Comes a thus, the issue of valuation services to the world of the environment (including Brazil) and the Amazon jungle.
Currently, the State Amazon and the Brazilian government fund its conservation policies through appropriate budgets. Amazon's budget of approximately R $ 2,000 per capita and year is not enough to cover the costs of health, education and provision of other government services for our population, let alone to finance rebalancing the equation. This is a special state, in which a domestic flight can take up to two hours and cost more than R $ 1,000.
The possibility valuation of ecosystem services provided by forests is the largest economic opportunity of the Amazon today. In the past we had rubber in the future probably we have the technology to use the natural laboratory for our benefit, to the extent that is unimaginable today, today, for the region as a whole services, the environment can be the solution. Small Amazon river ecosystem services to maintain the cycle of climate and water, prevention of global warming and global biodiversity conservation, among others. With one relevant difference: without compensation.
Taking a step in this direction, Amazonas, in relation with the Foundation for Amazonas Sustainable Development held a partnership with the Marriott hotel chain to preserve an area of 5,000 km ², in search of better conditions of life for local people (about one thousand inhabitants) and having as a counterpart to the conservation of the area and subsequent provision of environmental services. This reserve, located in the Juma River, is located in the arc of deforestation, so that in a "normal" scenario, would have been deforested in the coming years.
This project is based on an initial donation by the hotel chain and then the contributions of customers opting to pay a little extra to contribute to the reserve. The project is intended to implement improvements in the monitoring program and the Bolsa Floresta, led by the Foundation Sustainable Development of Amazonas, chaired by former Minister Furlan, and former Environment Secretary of Amazonas, Virgilio Viana. With regard to monitoring, the main actions include the use of satellites in relation to the presence of points well equipped ground surveillance. The Bolsa Floresta program, plus a fee of R $ 50 per month families not involved in deforestation, also spreads payments of approximately R $ 750 per year for families in small communities. This additional cost should be spent through a community organization (R $ 50 per family), sustainable economic activities (R $ 350 per family) and social improvement (R $ 350 per family, for education, health, transport and communications).
Two factors of the project are at odds with the policy rolls pretreated development in the country.
- The funding does not come from government budgets and yes, in this case, from the donation and income earned by the Foundation.
- Communities to decide on how to better utilize resources, and not bureaucrats thousands of miles apart away.
The project is trying to be offset by VRES (voluntary reductions in carbon emissions) due to methodology CCB (the gold standard for carbon forestry projects), because the estimated reduction of deforestation. CCB methodology is becoming the standard way of assessing the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), which is of extreme importance to the region Amazon.
Among the many positive factors in this example, is of great importance to the advent of economic initiative sway in favor of standing forest. So begins the change in the economic equation "of standing forest in the forest down." Only this re-balancing can enable the creation of an economy sustainable in the Amazon in which we will be proud.
With partners such as Marriott and Bradesco, the State of Amazonas will be able to reach a stage where deforestation, and at a low level (about 750 km ² or 0.05% of the state per year) shall be reduced to zero. The need to increase these efforts is evident, leaving only the question on how to complete the task.
Despite the hope and expectation that there is more responsible citizens and businesses voluntarily extend their contributions to similar projects (in case one of them, visit target = "_blank" www.fas>-amazonas.org), almost a thousand similar projects would be needed to cover all of the Amazon. The right solution to protect all 4.3 million square kilometers of the Amazon Brazil may occur for a new international regime of valuation and payment for environmental services. Today, this system is contemplated to take the following difference the conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012, Amazon intends to receive carbon credits (carbon storage) or credits for all processes other environmental (largely covered in the methodology of CCB) in exchange for conservation. Knowing that the benefits will be enjoyed by all, nothing more just than cost sharing with everyone.
Let's remember the rules of social justice, political balance, economic viability and environmental suitability (Prof. Benchimol). Forest conservation is no longer a sign of lack of men and economic inactivity to become a sign of humanity and the regional force.
About the Author
Secretário Estadual de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento Econômico, Amazonas, Brasil / Secretary for Planning and Economic Development, State of Amazonas, Brazil
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