Section 2: Research to Date:

I.  Random Facts: Some Basic Information about Brazil and the Rainforest

-12% of the Brazilian Amazon is considered "unclaimed government lands". (1)
-Only 3.2% of Brazilian land is under parks and reserves.  (1)

II. Public Relations Targets: An overview of necessary contact groups and their status

    a.    Indigenous Peoples:

-ARPA policies: The Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) project provides an Indigenous People Strategy that is helpful.  The ARPA has made efforts to include indigenous people and quilombolas in the creation and implementation of the ARPA project.  According to the ARPA, the protected areas will provide "buffer zones" for the indigenous peoples.  Furthermore, the project will help conserve the natural resources that the indigenous people rely on.       

-Environmental Effects:  The ARPA maintains that "Indigenous people have for long time used the rainforest ecosystems for their subsistence and trade without causing major environmental degradation, and many scientists consider as exemplary their expertise knowledge in natural resources management." (2)

-According to the National Indian Foundation of Brazil (FUNAI), there are 326,000 indigenous people in Brazil, along with about 946,000 swaure kilometers of indigenous land (approximately 11% of the all Brazilian land).     

-Displacement:  Brazil does not have laws similar to American eminent domain laws, allowing the government to force people off their land.  Furthermore, it has been the policy of the ARPA not to cause indigenous people displacement.  

    b.   Brazilian Government:

-IBAMA: The IBAMA, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, is the critical environmental governing agency of the Brazilian Government.  It regulates the use of the environment, especially the rainforest.  It is responsible for creating laws restricting logging, farming, land-clearing, construction, deforestation, waterway use, and air regulation, amonst other things.  This was confirmed by Nadja Havt, our expert in Brazil.  The Manager for the Ibama is Jose Barroso.  The President is Hamilton Casara.  An overview from the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) project says, "IBAMA resources are insufficient to manage effectively a large number of small units; protected areas lack staff and staff with necessary skills-on average, there is on IBAMA employee for every 27650 ha of protected (only 20% of the 575 employees administering protected areas have a higher education; and budgetary processes are centralized and inflexible.  Some of IBAMA's problems are beeing addressed with the help of PPG7 projects.  The Extractive Reserves, Forest Managment and Flood Plains Management Projects are currently being implemented under IBAMA, but using a different model from the NEP.  In these projects, the Project Coordination unit is headed by a highly qualified staff contracted under UNDP and not subjected to political appointment.  This coordination unit is inserted ". (1)

-CONAMA: The National Environment Council (CONAMA) was created by Brazilian environmental Law No. 6,938 in August, 1981.  According to the First national report for the Convention on Biological Diversity, "CONAMA establishes the norms and criteria for the licensing of polluting or environmentally damaging activities and determines, whenever necessary, research on alternatives and of the possible environmental consequences of public or private projects."  (3)

-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso: Recently lost his office in elections to a pro-environment candidate.  For more information about Brazilian politics, link to our team page from this home page.

- ARPA: The aforementioned Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) Project is a 10 year government program.  It was created to establish a "mosaic" of protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon.  Each year, it expands its ambitions, as it works towards its goal of rainforest conservation.  More information is provided above.

-The Brazilian Government has created the Amazon Regional Protected Areas (ARPA) in an effort to create 28.5 million hectares of protected areas in the next 10 years.

    c.    American Relations:

-Mahogany Trade: Recent projections predict the complete extinction of Mahogany in 8 years.  The US is the main market for mahogany.  The Brazilian government has implemented efforts to limit the mahogany trade with licensing and permit laws.  However, bribery and corruption prevent any real positive effects.  Greenpeace is lobbying Washington to curtail excessive American exportation of this valuable tree of the Amazon.  Our "Public Relations Solutions" provide ways to limit this trade.

    d.    International Relations:

-Columbia: Columbia is a nation plagued with problems similar but not the same as Brazil.  Any advancements in either Columbia or Brazil (including research) will require extensive economic planning and recovery.  Because economic recovery depends a great deal on foreign aid and internal dispute resolution, public relations are critical to ensure future stability in Brazil.  A Columbia information sessios, entitled "Columbia In 2003", provided an opportunity to discuss Columbia's problems with Columbian policy advocates. They emphasize oversight of where foreign aid is delivered, citing the large percentage of US military aid to Latin American countries.  They further advocated low level improvements, beginning with the citizenry, in places like Putamayo.  They fear that Americans are too entrenched in "anti-terrorism and anti-narcotics" mindsets to realize that the Columbian way of life -their business, their society, and even the structure of power- must be changed before any positive effects will be seen.  More information on my Columbian resource will be available soon.   

-Japan:  The Japanese Government is conduction a National Network Genome Project with incredible success in the Amazon near the Rio Negro River.  This demonstrates their interests in the Amazon and their potential willingness to aid in further research and preservation.

-Holland: A Dutch group named the National Institue of Amazon Research (INPA) is a leader in Amazon research.

II. Public Relations Means: Information about how to reach our targets

a. Television:

-According to the First national report for the Convention on Biological Diversity, "Environmental topics are now widespread in the mass media, such as TV, magazines and newspapers. In recent years, Brazilian television has changed from programmes originating almost exclusively from abroad, to ones which are produced nationally, regionally and locally and incorporating Brazilian ethics and cultural values. A good example is the TV Cultura, a public television station maintained by the Padre Anchieta Foundation (Fundacao Padre Anchieta). It is an educational channel with programmes based on four fundamental points: Education, Culture, Information and Entertainment. TV Cultura launched the programme REPORTER ECO in February 1992, the first TV newsreel devoted exclusively to scientific documentaries and news items on the environment. REPORTER ECO reports on environmental technology in Brazil and abroad, ecotourism, environmental education, experiments in sustainable development, wildlife projects and wildife conservation and research. In 1973, TV Globo launched GLOBO REPORTER, a weekly documentary programme on controversial topics of general interest. In the last few years, this programme has given more and more time to Brazil s environmental questions."(3)

b. Press

-"The environment is also increasingly evident in the national press. Many newspapers and magazines have a regular column on the environment, or science and technology. Examples include:  The publication of an entire issue devoted to the Amazon by the magazine Veja;  Ciencia Hoje, the monthly magazine of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (Sociedade Brasileira para o Progresso da Ciencia - SBPC).  The publication of a magazine Superinteressante, totally dedicated to questions connected with science and technology and the environment.  Globo Ciencia, published by the Brazilian television company TV Globo; " Agencia Estado, with its column on science and technology.  Folha Ciencia, the science supplement of the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo." (3)

Citings:

(1)    The ARPA (Amazon Region Protected Areas) Project Overview.  Available in resources links.
(2)    The ARPA (Amazon Region Protected Areas) Indigenous People Strategy.  Available in resource links.
(3)    First national report for the Convention on Biological Diversity.  Available in resource links.