Defending the Amazon: Conservation, Development and Security in Brazil

摘要

The struggle between development and conservation remains salient with today's focus on global climate change. This conflict is seen most clearly in the Brazilian Amazon. The international conservation community and developed nations advocate conservation in the Amazon, while developing nations fight for progress. Conservationists expect international organizations, developed nations, and domestic grassroots organizations to pressure the Brazilian government to conserve the Amazon. Development advocates point to the need to stabilize Brazil's economy and expand into the Amazon for its untapped resources. To understand the impasse between these two forces, one must look to a third actor: the Brazilian military. This thesis examines the critical role of the Brazilian military in Amazonian policy. Guarantors of Brazil's border and national security, the military views its infiltration of the Amazon as part of its mission. It also sees development and population growth as tools the government must use to increase its sovereignty over the Amazon. This thesis concludes that the military and its concerns must be addressed before development policy in the Amazon can incorporate conservation. The Amazon must be conserved as a global resource, but it will continue to be developed until the military's role and views regarding the Amazon are changed.