A Balancing Act for Brazil's Amazonian States - by Marek Hanusch (Paperback)

About the Book

Social deprivations coincide with vast deforestation in Brazil's Legal Amazon, or Amazônia. Poverty reduction and sustainable development require renewed efforts to protect the region's exceptional natural wealth, coupled with a shift from an extractive to a productivity-oriented growth model.

Book Synopsis

Brazil's nine Amazonian states, here collectively referred to as Amazônia, include some of the world's richest ecosystems, including the Amazon rainforest and parts of the Cerrado savanna and Pantanal wetlands. The region is also among Brazil's poorest socioeconomically. As a result, sustainable, inclusive development of Amazônia calls for raising living standards while protecting natural forests. A Balancing Act

for Brazil's Amazonian States: An Economic Memorandum explores how a recalibrated development approach can achieve these goals.

In the shorter term, there is an urgent need to halt deforestation--a massive destruction of natural wealth that poses risks to the climate and economy. Amazônia is Brazil's deforestation hot spot, and the Amazon rainforest is approaching tipping points into broad and permanent forest loss. Reversing the recent increase in deforestation requires stronger land and forest governance, including land regularization and more effective law enforcement.

In the longer term, both Brazil and Amazônia need a new growth model. This model would be anchored in productivity rather than resource extraction and it would diversify the export basket beyond commodities. A more balanced structural transformation requires the lagging urban sectors, such as manufacturing and services, to step up to promote economic growth, reduce pressure on the agricultural frontier, and generate jobs for Brazil and Amazônia's largely urban populations. The public-good value of Amazônia's forests could generate conservation finance linked to verifiable reductions in deforestation. Such financing would support a new development approach, combining forest protection, productivity, balanced structural transformation, sustainable production techniques (including the bioeconomy), and other measures to address the needs of Amazônia's urban and rural populations. This approach must also heed the needs and interests of Amazônia's traditional communities.

Given both the value and the fragility of Amazônia's ecosystems, coupled with considerable socioeconomic local needs, the stakes are high-for Amazônia, Brazil, and the world.

About the Author

The World Bank came into formal existence in 1945 following the international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements. It is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. The organization's activities are focused on education, health, agriculture and rural development, environmental protection, establishing and enforcing regulations, infrastructure development, governance and legal institutions development. The World Bank is made up of two unique development institutions owned by its 185 Member Countries. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) focuses on middle income and creditworthy poor countries and the International Development Association (IDA), which focuses on the poorest countries in the world.