Why is Brazil Doubling its Military Protection in the Amazon Rainforest?
Brazil’s government has announced plans to increase their soldiers in the Amazon Rainforest from 17,000 to 30,000 over the next 9 years, as well as build new forts and improve others. Why have they chosen to invest $488.6 million in this plan?
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The answer is more muddled than I would have guessed. But what can you expect given Brazil’s recent my-way-or-the-highway conservation tactics, their boldness in announcing an unrealistically ambitious anti-deforestation campaign, and a giant oil discovery that further added to the wealth of a country that is now buying more ethanol than gas?
As part of the “Protecting Amazon” project, the military buildup will supposedly aid in the further protection of tribal reservations and the Brazilian border. Brazil shares an extensive border in the rainforest with 8 other countries, and has recently been involved in a dispute with Peru over uprooted Indian tribes. Brazilian authorities and several NGOs devoted to advocacy efforts for tribal peoples claim that deforestation in Peru’s forests is displacing tribal peoples rapidly into Brazil. But this dispute in fact, seems to have little to do with the plan for military buildup.
When I first read about Brazil’s plan, I thought they were pursuing it for conservation reasons, much in the way that Peru’s Environmental Minister has proposed a 3,000 person Environment Police to patrol the Amazon Rainforest and protect its biodiversity. It turns out that its more so about modernizing their military, for what I think are pretty lame reasons.
As mentioned earlier, last year Brazil discovered a huge oil deposit offshore. They promptly scheduled military war games as a show that they were willing to protect the oil. From who I ask? George Bush? In addition to modernizing their ground forces via this new Amazon protection plan, Brazil also wants to build nuclear submarines with the help of France, to help defend their coastline (from who I ask?–once again).
I also am not sure if building 28 new forts will do much good in Brazil’s section of the Amazon Rainforest, but I’m hoping I’m wrong. Perhaps it will help lead to greater protection of the amazing biodiversity and cultures found within the forest’s boundaries.
Photo Credit: openDemocracy on Flickr under a Creative Commons license
Hi,
Military forces defend from the narcotic traficants. Marijuana and Coca, for consumers ind brazil or in other countries, the amazon rain is perfect to micro-airports to distribue the ilegal products. Really the action of theses traficants are big, many ton’s off coca and marijuana in natura or processed flyind over the amazon forest, and goes to europe about the sea.
Other problema is bio-piratary, many products extracted from the forrest, and patenteds in other countries, the problem not is the money from the patents goes to brazil, the problem is the local companies is impeded to use these products or NAMES. The problem is any person arrest much money about royalties of any natural product.
And the reserves of gas and petroil, he is in high profundity, in pantonous areas, the dificulty is much more then the subaquatic reserves in the sea (The prevision is the brazil may be use petroil from under-sea reserves used ACTUALLY for more 30 years, dont have the necessity or preocupation when explore gas, petroil, or agriculture in amazon forest.
The biocombustibles (Alcool) dont be produced in amazon forest since december 2007, the zoneament of the areas to use to agriculture (Not use forest, pantanous, river-sides) is in process since last decade, in 10 years may be complete. The tendency is the use of biocombustibles grow and the fossil-combustibles down, remember: The american ethanol is 100% diferent of the brazilian alcool, the productivity of the areas (Not in amazonia) is 100% deferent, the subsidies too, etc.
Brazil sees wealth in the Amazon rainforest. But there is more than biodiversity. Rather than investing in bioprospecting and seeing the long tail of that investment, they are keen to cash in on the rising prices of commodities. Hence they want to protect the rainforest for short-term exploitation of natural resources. This is not difficult to understand. Until the world economy shifts to a sustainable model, such protectionism will continue and the integrity of the rainforest ecosystem will be compromised.
As if the US would do anything different.
I had the opportunity to Visit Brazil last, year, what a beautiful place. It deserves total protection..
jess
http://www.web-privacy.pro.tc
I am Brazilian and I want the U.S. to * … will freeze there? Problem for you, you killed the Indians and then eliminated their forests, do not mention Brazil in their ridiculous conversations…
sorry, i´m a stupid guy and i not brazilian, i´m Bolivia guy
Do you honestly have no idea who could be possibly viewed as a potential threat to Brazilian interests in the region? Another prominent country in the region has engaged in quite a bit of saber rattling in the past few years - Colombia under Hugo Chavez. With backing from the newly resurgent Russians, it’s not that hard to regard Colombia as the biggest destabilizing force in South America.
I agree with carlos batista.
“From who i ask?” are the US keeping siloed nuclear warheads while deterring others from doing the same. To defend from who are the US keeping one of the largest military machines in the world. To defend themselves from who, does the US believe they have the task and the right to police the rest of the world?
Brazil is only protecting what is rightfully theirs. I don’t see any harm. After all, it is THEIR forest, why would you care?
Now, if you have second thoughts about the drinkable water, about one of the biggest ecologic zones on the planet, about -say- invading it “for the sake of the world and the human race”(but nevertheless invading it anyway), then i could understand why would you be concerned…
well!!!I could give u many reasons for Brazil up grade it’s armed forces!!!Every one knows that Brazilian armed forces are junk!!!Brazil want be member of UN council….Brazil discover oil!!Brazil needs to improve its high tech industrial parks…!!!I really don’t know what kind “seed ” are u smoking that only u are out of Brazil’s reality!!I say it taking note that u are the one who wrote this article!!I just wanna to mention that Brazil has been taking lot of loss from its neighbors big reason…weaken defence…guess again!!!u should do better researching before write any article about anybody else!
I’m sorry, but you seem to imply that Brazilians don’t have a right to secure their borders against future attacks?
As the recent years showed, the U.S. will stop at nothing. It will lie to the Security Council, invade countries on false pretenses, manipulate the whole U.S. population and launch a war for energy security. I think it is *entirely plausible* that in the not-so-near future the U.S. comes up with lousy excuses for, say, invading the Amazon, in order to set its foot in Brazilian territory to steal natural resources.
The U.S. has shown everyone it’s not a country the international community can trust. The lessons of Vietnam, Hiroshima were almost forgotten. Now, the people of Brazil and the international community understand full well that the U.S. is not a force for good but acts as a rogue state.
I’m am deeply sorry, as a Brazilian, that we gave up our nuclear weapons program in the 70s. By now, we would already have nukes. Having nukes is the only thing that will make the U.S. stop and think.