"Advance Brazil" Boom for Brazil or Doom for Rainforests?

Rainforest Deforestation

The researchers used satellite data to paint detailed pictures of the impact of past development and projected what would happen 20 years from now. They predicted the new roads will devastate the rain forest, which will mean more forest fires, less wildlife and the release of greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. 

The Brazilian government said the report is based on unreliable facts and "ecological futurology". Below is information and a link to the official "Advance Brazil" program.

"Advance Brazil"

The National Integration and Development Zones are outlined, for planning purposes, according to their productive activity, economic, social and environmental conditions. It is an innovative way of planning the development of all national areas, according to their vocation and potentialities. One of the main merits of this model is to consider the national territory as a geo-economic unified space, breaking with the traditional vision that fragments the country according to the formal geo political borders (macro regions and states). In its place the definition of the National Zones gives emphasis to the analyses of the real flows of goods and services and to the identification of the demands of the Brazilian citizens in the environment they live in.

The other advantage is to introduce the concept of sustainable development in the planning. This concept take into consideration the reality of each space of the territory, integrated solutions for the social, economic, environmental, and information & knowledge questions.

Better Roads

A transport net to integrate Brazil

In the sector of transport, the investment opportunities amount to US$31.5 billion in public and private investments. Motorways, water ways, railways, harbours and airports will be built, recovered and expanded to attend the demands until 2007 to support the economic activities in the regions that are isolated nowadays.

New Transmission Lines

Amazon Zones

A region with an intense amount of natural resources. The investment opportunities are in the sustainable exploration of the forest products, in the eco tourism and the bio technology, added by the agriculture, agri industry, mineral exploration and services. It demands for the construction of a modern infrastructure of water transport, natural gas energy, and telecommunications, integrated to the amazon nature

Oil Pipelines

Dominant and potential economic activities

The dominant activities of the North Arc Zone are the public sector and the paper cellulose chain , apart from the primitive agriculture, breeding of wild animals and extraction of natural resources, the highlights are maritime fishing, production of dendê oil, nuts, açaí pulp, grains and timber. The potential activities are concentrated in the aggregation of value to the typical products of the region, manufactured for the obtaining of oil, juice and fruit pulp. The development of fishery and crustacean production techniques; commercial and industrial fishing; indigenous and copper-coloured art craft; development of medicines and cosmetics; sustainable exploration of the bio diversity and the timber potential, the ecotourism of international interest. The investments in information & knowledge must grow progressively to aggregate value to the products of the region, overcome social problems, assure the biological and cultural diversity and valorise the environmental assets.

Better Housing

Madeira-Amazonas zone

The potentialities of the Madeira-Amazonas are the aggregation of value to the regional products; the development of fishery activities; the indigenous and copper-coloured handcraft; the exploration of the bio diversity and bio technology; the sustainable exploration of the timber potential; the fishing; the ecotourism. Activities such as the creation of alternative sources of flour for human and animal consumption, the exploration of natural gas and other local energetic sources as well as the segment of precious stones.