Transcript Brazilian Power in the Amazon Basin

Brazil:
The Amazon Basin
OUTLINE
 General Information
 Ecological Concerns
 Guerrilla Warfare
 Drug Trafficking
 Indigenous Rights
 Conclusion
Within South America
VENEZUELA
COLOMBIA
GUYANA
SURINAM
FRENCH
GUIANA
ECUADOR
BRAZIL
PERU
BOLIVIA
GENERAL INFORMATION
 World’s largest river basin
 Origin is Nevado Mismi, flows eastward, emptying into
Atlantic
 Basin Countries: Brazil (62.4%), Peru (16.3%) Bolivia
(12.0%), Colombia (6.3%) Ecuador (2.1%)
OTHER PERSPECTIVES
ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE
 “Lungs of our Planet”
 Capable of absorbing huge amounts of carbon dioxide
 2.5 million insect species, 2,000 birds and mammals
 The diversity of plant species in basin is highest on Earth
 One square kilometer contains over 7,500 types of trees
 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest
ingredients, less than 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been
tested by scientists
ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS
 Logging
 Agricultural Production - soy
 Cattle Ranching – leading cause of deforestation in Brazil
 Water Pollution –
primarily from
oil mining
DEFORESTATION
Political Actions
 Brazil – environmental police/reserves
 Peru – INRENA, National Institute of Natural Resources
 Bolivia – certified forests through FSC
 Colombia – drugs affecting process
 Ecuador – no governmental institutions
 Together – Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization
(ACTO), OAS
Drug Trafficking in the Amazon
•Brazil
•Bolivia
•Peru
•Colombia
Brazil:
What is the Govternment Doing?
 Internally - adopted policies that
aim to curb drug abuse in the
country.
 External policy - contributes to the
work of the UN Commission on
Narcotic Drugs.
 In the Latin American region, Brazil
also works with the OAS and its
Inter-American Commission on the
Control of Drug-Abuse.
Brazilian Government Agencies that
Fight Against Drug Trafficking
 (SENAD) Brazil’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat is the governmental
agency in the country that deals with issues of illegal traffic.
 (CONAD) Is the National Anti-Drug Council that carries out the orders
of SENAD. CONAD is made up of governmental officials from all
branches of govt
Brazil & Drug Trade: Final
Considerations
 While the Amazon Basin is relatively isolated, it is also accessible via
roads and waterways that are controlled by different drug
trafficking groups.
 Basin transportation arteries are also used to smuggle stolen
vehicles, gold, coffee, soy, in exchange for coca, cocaine and arms.
 Brazilians place blame for drug problem on US consumption.
 Brazil’s involvement in the drug trade in the Amazon Basin is more
based on the country’s vast territory being used to transport the
drugs to Colombia and other countries.
Bolivia
 From 1992 to 2000 Bolivia reduced its illegal narcotics production.
 In 2001 it was calculated that in the past decade Bolivia went from
48,000 hectares of coca fields to 22,000.
 Destruction of Amazon Basin forest lands due to drug productions is
evident in Bolivia.
 Slash and Burn has been practiced in over 40,000 hectares of Bolivian
forest to clear land for coca production.
Peru
 In the 1990’s the Peruvian government began a plan to
eradicate the drug trade and consumption in the country.
 Efforts were made not only to stop the trade but to
oppose terrorist groups and drug traffickers
 Due to these efforts Peru reduced its coca crops by
70.5%. This caused a drop from 115,000 hectares of
coca fields in 1995, to 34,000 in 2001.
 This operation was made possible with efforts of the
Peruvian Air Force as well.
Peru
 At turn of century drug traffickers moved to the
coastlines and the waters to traffic the narcotics.
 Currently Peru is patrolling the waters, and also
engaging in drug raids in the jungle as well as air
surveillance.
Colombia
 Forests are cleared via slash and burn in Colombia for production of cocaine.
 Coca production in Colombia grew by 175% between 1985 and 1989
 Additional to the 27,000 hectares of land cleared in the late 80’s there have been an
addition 8-10,000 hectares cleared in forest areas in the 1990’s to continue
production.
Colombia
 Plan Colombia - funding from US government to Colombia to aid in the drug war
 United States has spent 3 billion dollars to fuel the war on drugs.
 However, one of the problems has been the destruction of the big cartels and the
creation of smaller ones which have been harder to target.
 The Bush administration is seeking more than $700 million from Congress in
counterinsurgency and counter narcotics aid for Colombia in the 2006 fiscal year.
 The US currently has 800 US troops stationed in Colombia.
 Success a matter of controversy
PLAN Colombia: Limited Success
A total of 33,585 peasant families in Putumayo have already signed voluntary
eradication agreements,
 receiving alternative development aid from the government.
 By the end of 2004 16% of all coca fields in Colombia were eradicated.
 Guerrilla warfare in the Amazon:
Who is there and what are the
countries doing about it?
Guerrilla groups operating within the
Basin
 Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
 Dislocated over 2,000 indigenous Indians from their
homes.
 Many different governments trying to reduce their
influence
Al-Qaeda in Venezuelan Amazon?
 Is it operating in Venezuela?
 Venezuelan-based web site:
 Solicits donations
 Seeks to recruit members
 Vague references to planning
attacks
Guerilla violence :
Brazil
 Brazil-Colombia border largely unmarked
 Border also sparsely populated
 Chemicals for processing cocaine rumored to
come from Sao Paulo industries
 May 2002: 1 soldier shot, 2 missing during
Brazilian war games
Occidental Pipeline: Colombia
• Bombed over 1000 times since 1986 despite U.S. efforts
at protection
• 2.9 million barrels of crude oil spilled (11 times EXV)
• Deprived Occidental and the Colombian government
of:
○ 24 million barrels of oil and 266 days of oil
○ Reduces economic incentive of investing in the pipeline
China as an Economic force in
the Amazon
•
Second largest trading
partner
•
Economic interest in Amazon
lumber
minerals
Road-building
Deforestation
•
•
Brazil: Controlling the Amazon
 In July 2002, Brazil
unveiled a new $1.4
billion surveillance system
to monitor the Amazon
Rainforest
 Raytheon wins the
contract to build this
system
 Criticism of the US
because of the push for
Raytheon to win