THE POSSIBLE AMAZON

The Amazon constitutes a strategic reserve of potential for a new kind of development for Brazil. The opportunities depend on a structural change in focus which has already been made by some sectors of society, government, and businesses, but at a scale that is still insufficient, writes Marina Silva, senator and former environment minister of Brazil. In this article, the author writes that the Amazon can only be treated and understood correctly if Brazil is too. The government should ensure that the levels of socio-environmental governance achieved in the Amazon are maintained. Land-use zoning should continue to advance. It is essential to continue reducing that frontier of vacant lands and, at the same time, continue increasing protected areas, structuring them so that they serve environmental, social and economic functions. Preserving the Amazon and promoting improvements in the lives of its population is a civilisational challenge for Brazil and the world. Our success will depend on the perseverance of local officials in continuing to expand environmental governance and on the political support of society to ensure that the process is not interrupted.