Assuring+sustainable+development+in+the+Amazon+region

Sustainable development in the Amazon region:


 * ­ 61% of Brazil land area is made up of the Amazon region.
 * ­ There are 20% of the world’s plant and animal species living in the region.

The Amazon conflict: ­ Developing economic growth with social and environmental benefits has not been solved yet.

Social Issue: ­ Forest sector compromises 8.6 of export providing 6.5 million jobs.

What has happened/ happening:
 * ­ Intense exploitation of resources
 * ­ Trees in Amazon contain 60-80 billion tones of carbon (more emissions created by humans in a decade)
 * ­ Release 200 million tones of carbon each year. (3% of global net emissions)
 * ­ 1.5 hectares harvested for timber using unsustainable practices increasing forest degradation.
 * ­ One third of the region’s forest is degraded by use of unsustainable practices.
 * ­ Forests are more susceptible to fires, because of longer periods of drought making them drier and accumulate in dead leaves l on the ground.
 * ­ Deforestation
 * ­ Low law enforcement and high price of grains and meat, investment in infrastructure, land issues, cattle for ranching, mining, logging
 * ­ Agriculture has become the newest drive of deforestation in the region.
 * ­ Agriculture has become the newest drive of deforestation in the region.

Conflict: ROADS:
 * ­ Brazil one of world’s largest producer and exporter of sugar cane, soybeans and oranges.
 * ­ Soybean production has pushed the Amazon deforestation area further north. (This creates expansion)
 * ­ Challenge is to increase production without encouraging new deforestation
 * ­ Awareness must be made on preventing new deforestation caused by displacement of economic activities.
 * ­ When biofuels increase demand for crops prices will rise and farms expand and displaced ranchers will create new areas in forest areas.
 * ­ Governmental infrastructure plan for the region includes road paving, new hydropower projects and construction of waterways and ports. This can change social, economic, and environmental situation in the area but can create deforestation and degradation if there isn’t regional planning.
 * ­ 70% of deforestation occurs 50 km from paved roads.
 * ­ Federal government plan: sustainable development plan, which is based on studies and hearings. It is a plan adopted in making a commitment to further actions and public policies. The initiative is shown through trying to demonstrate an organized local civil society.
 * ­ Deforestation facilitated by road pavement and low law enforcement could also dramatically increase the annual net carbon emissions from the Amazon.
 * ­ By 2050 roughly a 100 mammal species will lose more then 40% of the forests within their distribution ranges under the businesses comparing to only 10% under governmental business.

The Good - Assuring sustainable development in. Amazon region :
 * ­ Federal government acknowledges that reducing deforestation is not exclusively the concern of the ministry of environment.
 * ­ The government created a committee of 14 ministries to design and execute a plan for reducing Amazon deforestation. There is intense monitoring. And control of illegal deforestation.
 * ­ Brazil has remote – sensing systems for monitoring deforestation, which gives monthly estimates. (This is good because it is current and up to date they can rely on their information.)
 * ­ The Brazilian institute of environment and renewable natural resources has arrested more than 500 people who have illegally defenestrated. There are now over 200 federal areas under protection.
 * ­ **Programs being places and actions taken along with the decrease in international soybeans prices have reduced the Amazon deforestation by 52 percent since 2004.**
 * ­ **A new public forest management was passed in 2006: it states that all public forests should remain public and retain their forest cover. They can be transformed into protested areas and can be sustainably used for economic purposes under forest concessions. (This strengthens, the social, environmental and economic importance of forests in the region)**
 * ­ **Brazilian forest service has been created to manage and protect public forests. And the national fund for forest development has also been established to support forest-based activities, like research and building and economics activities that relate to forest management.**
 * ­ **Every Brazilian state has a responsibility for issuing forest management permits and preventing illegal logging and deforestation. This is the responsibility of the federal government.**
 * ­ **Biofuels as they are important for Brazil it must be ensured they do not come at the cost of deforestation. Brazilian government has proposed to the United Nations framework convention of climate change, that developed countries should be compensated for reducing deforestation below national historical rates.**
 * ­ **Brazil needs to keep a permanent position.**
 * ­ **Brazil needed to look at its population size it is still an issue, and to look at its migration.**

Sustainable development in the Amazon region is crucial. The Amazon alone Releases 200 million tones of carbon each year. (3% of global net emissions) Not only that but there are 20% of the world’s plant and animal species living in the region. Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers of sugar cane, soybeans and oranges. It deals with various nations. This issue is in an example for nations as well as Iraq to work on economically growing yet still with social and environmental benefits. Though Brazil’s government has stepped in and taken initiative it serves to show how every nation should take on responsibility for issuing permits, and ensuring that development does not cost the state more than is realized.

on the amazon: decides to remain informed of the issue and to practice economic growth with social and enviromental benefits.