A Perspective on Brazilian Forest Policies and Management:Are there some Lessons for India?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2016/v142i2/88769Keywords:
Brazilian Forest Policies, National Environmental System, Environmental Council, Forest Development Fund, Forest Certification.Abstract
There are striking similarities in evolution of forest policies and management in India and Brazil. This paper deals with the analysis of Brazilian forest laws, policies, significant forest management practices, institutional arrangements and participation of communities and civil society with the objective of exploring the possibilities of adopting the same in Indian context.
The study reveals that Brazil has no single comprehensive national forest policy like India but it comprises of environmental, agricultural, industrial, indigenous, and timber related decrees, laws and mandates. It enacted Public Forest Management Law in 2006 which brought about far reaching changes in Brazilian forest policy including opening of public forests for the first time for timber harvest by private contractors through the process of forest concessions. Unlike India, there is a significantly higher level of participation of civil society and communities in policy formulation at the highest level and management of forests. The National Environmental System is a federal apex body for policy formulation comprising of multi-state and civil society representation. National Environmental Council is a consultative agency with a broad based representation. Sixty per cent (60%) of Brazilian public forests are community forests safeguarding the right of local communities to forest resources without encumbrances. Significant steps have now been taken to reduce deforestation. Brazilian Forest Service was created as late as in 2006 with the limited mandate of regulating and overseeing forest concessions, approval of management plans and imparting training, conducting research and providing technical assistance.
Brazil has initiated National Forest Development Fund to be primarily financed through forest concessions and to be used for scientific forest management. Brazil has embarked upon the task of preparing National Public Forest Registry. Brazilian protected area network is much more flexible with twelve categories having varying degree of protection. Brazil has developed its own program of forest certification called CERFLOR suited for national criteria and indicators formulated by Brazilian association of technical standards. No such national certification system exists in India. Adoption of similar initiatives in Indian context will significantly contribute towards improved conservation of forests.
References
Rylands Anthony B. and Brandon Katrina (2005). Brazilian Protected Areas. Conservation Biology, 19 (3):612–616.
Banerjee Onil and Alavalapati Janaki (2010). Illicit exploitation of natural resources: The forest concessions in Brazil. Journal of Policy Modelling, 32 (4):488–504.
Bauch Simone, Sills Erin, Rodriguez Luiz Carlos Estraviz, McGinley Kathleen, and Cubbage Frederick (2009). Forest Policy Reform in Brazil, Journal of Forestry. April/May 2009. Society of American Foresters,pp 132-138
Davies, Catriona (2010). Brazil Auctions Parts of Amazon for Logging. News article dated November 12, 2010 for CNN. Available at http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-12/world/brazil.forest.auction_1_illegal-logging-deforestation-daniel-nepstad?_s=PM:WORLD
Eastaugh, Chris, Reyer Christopher, González, Pablo Moreno, Wu Jian, Alberto Gappmayer Biscaia and Olga Pentelkina (2009). Forest Agencies’ Early Adaptations to Climate Change,IUFRO Occasional Paper No. 23. IUFRO Headquarters, Vienna
Fearnside Philip M. (2009). Brazil’s evolving proposal to control deforestation: Amazon still at risk. Environmental Conservation, 36 (3):177–179.
Fearnside, P. (2005). Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia: History, rates, and consequences. Conservation Biology, 19 (3):680–688.
Food and Agriculture Organization (2007). Global Forest Resource Assessment 2005. United Nations Food and Agriculture Office. Available online at www.fao.org/forestry/index.jsp
Food and Agriculture Organization (2015). Global Forest Resource Assessment 2015. United Nations Food and Agriculture Office. Available online at www.fao.org/forestry
International Tropical Timber Organisation (2005). Status of Tropical Forest Management, 2005. Available online at http://www.itto.int/sfm_detail/id=12480000
International Tropical Timber Organisation (2009). Annual Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation, 2009. Available at http://www.itto.int/annual_review/
Lele Uma, Viana Virgilio, Verissimo Adalberto, Vosti Stephen, Perkins Karin and Husain Syed Arif (2000). Brazil Forests in the Balance: Challenges of Conservation with Development-Evaluation Country Case Study Series, 2000. The World Bank, Washington, D.C.
Marina Silva (2005). The Brazilian Protected Areas Program. Conservation Biology, 19 (3):608-611
May Peter H. (2004). Forest Certification in Brazil. Paper presented at the Symposium on Forest Certification in Developing and Transitioning Societies: Social, Economic, and Ecological Effects. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. New Haven, Connecticut, USA, June 10 & 11, 2004
Medina, Gabriel, Pokorny Benno and Campbell Bruce (2008). Favouring local development in the Amazon: Lessons from community forest management initiatives. Forest Livelihood briefs. CIFOR. No 8. August, 2008.
Ministry of Environment (2009). Brazilian Forests at a Glance-2009. Brazilian Forest Service, Government of Brazil.
Ministry of Environment (2013). Brazilian Forests at a Glance-2013. Brazilian Forest Service, Government of Brazil.
Ministry of Environment and Forests (2012). Annual Report 2011-12 . Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, New Delhi.
Muchagata Marcia (2009). New Paths for Community Forestry in Brazil Paper presented in the XIII World Forestry Congress, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 18–23 October 2009
Nepstad, D., Schwartzman, S., Bamberger, B., Santilli, M., Ray, D., Schlesinger, P. (2006). Inhibition of Amazon deforestation and fire by parks and indigenous lands. Conservation Biology, 20 (1):65-73.
Patriota, Antonio De Aguiar (2009). An Introduction to Brazilian Environmental Law. George Washington International Law Review, 40 (3):611-617
Peres, C.A. and J.W. Terborgh (1995). Amazonian Nature Reserves: An Analysis of the Defensibility Status of Existing Conservation Units and Design Criteria for the Future. Conservation Biology 9:34–46.
Rodrigues, Fernanda, Edson R. Guarido Filhob and Rochadelli Roberto A. (2008). Forest Governance, Cultural Traits and the Forest Policy Development Process in Brazil. Environmental and Forest Governance-The Role of Discourses and Expertise. Proceedings of the International Conference, Gottingen 2007. (Michael Boucher, Lukas Giessen, Daniela Kleinschmit-Eds.), University of Gottingen.
Smeraldi, Roberto and Adalberto, Verissimo (1999). Acertando o Alvo:Caracterizacao do Consumo Interno de Madeira da Amazonia. IMAFLORA and IMAZON (cross reference)
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (2006). GAIN Report Number BR6609. Brazil Public Forest Management Law. Global Agriculture Information Network.
Verissimo, A. and Lima E. (1998). Caracterizacao dos polos madeireiros da Amazonia Legal. IMAZON (Cross-reference).
World Bank (1994). Brazil: The Management of Agriculture, Rural Development and Natural Resources. Natural Resources Management and Rural Poverty Division Report 11783-BR. Latin America and the Caribbean Region. Washington, D.C.
World Wildlife Fund (1999). WWF—Forests for Life: Forest Protected Area Triples in Brazil’s Amazon. Available at http://www.wwf.org/forests/ff.htm
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Unless otherwise stated, copyright or similar rights in all materials presented on the site, including graphical images, are owned by Indian Forester.
